The Art Of War-Haitus-SEE PROFILE
by CrimsonGecko
Summary: A struggling art student who is known for her lifelike paintings, is commissioned by Integra for a portrait. However after an attack on the estate will she end up staying there forever? Rated M for language and gore. some OCXAlucard
1. Chapter 1 - paint me a picture

I don't own Hellsing or any of its associated characters, I only own my OC Victoria Stein.

first fic, constructive criticism is welcome.

Thanks for reading, please review

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Victoria watched as the heavy rain pelted her window, the droplets of water dripping through the unsealed cracks her landlord refused to fix. Victoria stood up from the table sitting adjacent to the window groaning and stretching her aching back, she peered at the clock, "Fuck, three thirty already" She whispered tiredly at no one in particular. The artist looked down at the unfinished painting laying on the easel, her client was going to go kill her if this wasn't ready by tomorrow. She could feel her eyes burn every time she blinked, however she knew she desperately needed the money to make this months rent. Victoria groaned and proceeded to make another pot of coffee.

XxX

Victoria awoke to the ringing of her obnoxiously loud doorbell, she slowly lifted her head off the table as well as a variety of papers which stuck to her face. After her eyes adjusted to the blinding morning light, she nervously looked at the painting, sighing in relief when she saw that she had managed to finish the portrait. This particular client was a nasty one, Victoria didn't usually accept rude clients, but of late the portrait business was going downhill, and she was barely scraping by, she couldn't afford to lose any clients. Pushing the chair back from the table she padded over to the door and pulled it open, the rusted hinges screeching at every movement. A woman with short blue locks falling around a lightly tanned face stood in front of her, Alex, her very best friend, well only one.

"Alex? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you said twelve?" Victoria mumbled, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Betta' check ya clock mate, I'm right on time" Alex's loud voice echoed through the apartment buildings halls, her unique mix of Australian and Irish heritage produced a one of a kind accent.

'its too early for this' the artist thought grimly. "dammit, are you serious, I have another client in a couple of hours" she groaned,

nodding understandingly she apologized and looked past Victoria into the apartment. "ya got any coffee? got a job inta'view in a hour, and I 'ave ta look _perky_" the bluenette put heavy emphasis on the word perky, she was recently 'let go' from her last job after she broke a customers nose, no charges were pressed but she was fired immediately.

"Yeah sure come in" Victoria yawned mid sentence "you know where all the shit is, I have to go clean up". She dragged her feet towards her bedroom and changed out of her paint stained clothes into something more smart looking, a pencil skirt and purple button up shirt. She tied her long dark hair into braid, and drenched herself in perfume and deodorant, before applying light makeup and lipstick. Looking in the cracked floor length mirror, Victoria placed a variety of sketchbooks and folios into a black shoulder bag.

"Ay Vicky ya' might wanta' see this" Alex called from the kitchen

"You know I hate that name" Victoria drawled walking out into the kitchen she took the letter from Alex's outstretched hand. She ripped it open and examined the contents, a large four digit number stuck out largely one the page. Her eyes widened and she stumbled to a chair before resting her head on her arms in defeat,

Alex peered at the notice, a large written sum of overdue money took up the page. "Oh, damn, I'm so sorry Vicky" the tone in her voice was somewhat sympathetic, Alex reached out and put her hand on Victoria's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Victoria had her face in her hands causing Alex to suspect she was crying. "Vicky? Are ya ai'ght? Say somthin" she gave her slender frame a gentle shake. A muffled sound came from Victoria, "what is it?" Alex tried to peer behind her hands.

"I said... don't call me Vicky" she stood up and threw the notice onto the counter. Victoria sighed and pushed the hair from her face, "look, I'll deal with it later, but I have to focus on what I'm doing right now, I still have a week". Alex looked at Victoria with doubt, "look it'll be fine, my next jobs a big one, some sort of military leader or something, a large pay sum is what he promised", she reassured.

Alex paused "ai'ght... But if you get kicked out of 'ere, you can stay with us" she stood up and walked over to the fridge and began taking various condiments out,

Victoria gathered some more paint samples from the kitchen counter and stuffed them into her bag. "Ketchups' in the cupboard" Alex moved to the cupboard and continued shuffling things around. "And I appreciate the offer, but I really don't like the idea of third-wheeling you and mark. I have to run now",she pulled boots over her stockings hopping on one leg at a time.

"offers always there" she murmured,

Victoria inclined her head, "You can stay as long as you want, lock-up after alright?"

Alex poked her head out from the cupboard, "yeah a'course, have fun" she waved enthusiastically as Victoria walked out the door.

XxX

Victoria slung her heavy bag over her shoulder and padded quietly down the wooden hallway towards the elevator, careful not make any unnecessary noise, the floor would occasionally creak and she would flinch, checking around for any movement. The space between her apartment at the end of the hallway and the elevator was quickly closing, she was walking faster hoping with all her being that she wouldn't run into... him.

Suddenly a very loud, very unbelievable sounding gasp was audible behind her, Victoria cussed under her breath. "What a coincidence, seems we are always running into each other!" the voice beamed, the artist turned around to see Scott, a short, overweight, red headed man grinning at her. He was considered a somewhat normal man by social standards, nothing special or unique, he lived in an apartment above Victoria and spent his free time on the computer playing games all day. When Victoria first moved into the building, he began a conversation with her in the lobby as her things were being taken upstairs, he mentioned how she reminded him of a video game character he loved and he continued to tell her about this character for quite awhile. The conversation went on for a quarter of and hour and took an uncomfortable turn when he began comparing Victorias' and the game characters' physical qualities, this was enough to make Victoria uncomfortable and excuse herself abruptly, ending the conversation. But he never seemed to get the message that she found him annoying, no matter how much she ignored him.

"hi Scott, I can't talk right now I'm going to a commission" Victoria begun to walk away when he quickly stepped in front of her blocking her path. Victoria let out a low growl and was about to lose her patience, she absolutely could not be late to this appointment.

Scott lost his smile briefly, but picked it up again when he spoke "Victoria" he purred disgustingly, "I'm having a get-together tomorrow night, a group of friends, you should come" he reached out to touch her arm but Victoria moved back coolly and glared at him coldly. "I won't take no for an answer" he quipped raising his eyebrows

"If I say yes, will you move?" She growled

"It's a date" he grinned wider and moved to the side, "my apartment, eight-o'clock, Friday night". Victoria pushed past him and made a disgusted face, walking to the elevator she continued to glare at him as the doors closed.

XxX

She walked out of the apartment building to see a regal looking black car and a graceful looking thin older man standing out the front. As soon as he saw her he slowly approached, "Excuse me Ma'am, are you miss stein?

"Uh yes, yes I am" Victoria said nervously, this man's stiff demeanor made her uncomfortable,

"I have been waiting for quite while, I'm afraid we will be late" he said solemnly, maintaining eye contact the entirety of the time he spoke.

"I'm very sorry about that, it was out of my control unfortunately" Victoria said sincerely, cursing Scott.

The car-driver gave a single slow nod, and opened the side door of the car, she ungracefully clambered in, clutching her bag to her chest. The woman had met many wealthy clients, but none of them had ever arranged a car to be sent, for some unknown reason the unnatural nature of driver unsettled her greatly, causing the long car to be spent in complete silence.


	2. Chapter 2 - seven hours too many

A/N

will take in consideration any ideas for improvement to the story or characters, I really don't want my character to be a Mary Sue.

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After almost an hour in complete silence, the car slowly pulled up to the main gate, Victoria had been lightly dozing and awoke just in time to see the gates slowly open, the silhouette of a large mansion was visible in the distance. She sat up and begun fixing her disheveled hair and clothes, just ale to fix everything before the elderly driver pulled open the car door and offered a hand to help her out. The young artist gently waved her hand dismissing his gesture, he looked so old and frail Victoria was afraid she'd tear his arm right off. She climbed out of the small car and grabbed her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. She could hear several joints crack and pop as she stood up fully and stretched, another grim reminder she should exercise more. The black clad driver pulled a small briefcase out of the trunk and locked the car, putting the keys in his breast pocket.

"Miss Stein, will you please follow me inside" The driver motioned for her to follow. His smooth British accent was more noticeable now that they were away from the noise of the city.

"Oh yeah of course" Victoria followed him to the door and avoided all possible eye contact with the two armed men guarding it. Once the driver unlocked the large wooden door, Victoria was completely amazed with the interior, the exterior building was huge and also beautiful, but the detail and elegance the inside contained was beyond words. Victoria always wanted a beautiful Victorian mansion such as this, but she was stuck he her small and dingy apartment, 'not everyone can be as lucky as this guy' she mused.

The elderly driver led Victoria to a large room in the west wing of the house, it had cream coloured wallpaper covering most of the walls, a large fireplace and two very old, very comfortable looking couches sitting adjacent to each other with a table in the middle. "Please make yourself comfortable while I fetch Sir Integra, im Walter by the way" the driver informed, Victoria nodded and he gave a low bow before leaving the room. Victoria considered the fact he might be somewhat of a personal servant rather than just a driver, she'd never known a driver to go to such lengths to welcome a guest. After he left Victoria sat down in the middle of the couch and saw a wide variety of sweet and savory pasties aswell as biscuits, recognizing the expensive brands, Victoria frowned and thought of her supermarket brand biscuits back home. The young artist peered at all the paintings on the walls, mostly portraits, very detailed and photo-realistic, as if she wasn't feeling nervous enough already, she had a lot to live up to.

XxX*3 weeks earlier*XxX

Integra looked at the portrait of her father hanging in her office, his soft kind face betrayed his true nature of hunting monsters. She couldn't remember much of what he was like, the former Hellsing leader was always attending to the organisation's matters, leading Hellsing was a 24/7 job, and there was no time for family matters. As much as the knight loved destroying monsters, she would give anything for a vacation. She was deep in thought when a loud knock resounded off the office walls, she knew it was Walter since no one in this place ever knocked. "Enter" she called to the door.

Walter, undoubtably one of her most loyal servants entered the room with a large silver cart, lined with tea, coffee and her daily mail. He gracefully proceeded to pour her tea and readout the daily schedule, "...and at four, there is to be a meeting with sir Irons". Integra's deep scowl betrayed her usual stoic demeanour. "Sir?" Walter stopped his reading of the schedule when he noticed Integra's glazed over eyes, it was easy to see the Hellsing leader wasn't at her usual level of attentiveness.

She was staring at a patch in the carpet, and had completely zoned out, after several minutes she lifted her head at Walter "I'm going to take a few days off" she informed, not leaving any room for arguements. The butler visibly widened his eyes, Integra was very against taking time off work unless completely necessary, however, she was still human, and he could see the stress taking the toll on her health.

Walter exhaled, "what about the round table? Surely they'll have fits when they hear your off duty" his face was completely emotionless "vampires don't rest either, what will you do if there's an attack?"

Integra lit a cigar, and took a long drag before exhaling slowly, "I've decided, and that's the end of it. I'm not going to lead an organisation and give out orders knowing that in this state I'll make a mistake and get someone killed"

Walter was silent for several minutes "very well Sir Integra, but what will you do in this time?"

Integra's eyes met with her fathers portraits', "it's about time I got my portrait painted, I've been the leader long enough" she paused "contact the woman that did Sir Penwood's, I was rather pleased with her work"

"Very well sir" Walter bowed and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

XxX*present day*XxX

Time seemed to drag on forever, but the artist couldn't be too critical of Sir Integra's tardiness considering she was incredibly late herself. Victoria was nervously fiddling with the corners of her shirt, when suddenly her stomach growled, loudly. Remembering that her breakfast consisted of a triple strength expresso and some tic-tacs, she reached out and took a medium sized brown biscuit off a plate, and scarfed it down quickly, then another, and then another, and finally a few more. She would invest in these, they were much better than the plain cardboard tasting ones she usually bought.

The door swung open and a tall regal looking women strode through the door, her long pale blonde hair contrasting with her olive skin, the diver/butler followed closely behind her, a notebook and pen in his gloved hands. Victoria immediately threw her phone into her bag as soon as the women entered the room. "Sir Integra, this is miss Victoria Stein" Walter informed. Victoria stood up as Integra walked closer, they met in the middle, Integra shaking the artist's outstretched hand firmly and exchanging greetings, the two women then sat down on the opposite couches, Walter stood awkwardly behind Integra and readied himself for note taking.

Victoria was surprised to say the least when she found out Integra was a woman, especially since Walter usually put emphasis on the 'Sir'. "Now, I'll make something clear right now, for the sum I am paying you, I expect only the highest quality in your work" Integra's strong voice and piercing eyes put Victoria at unease. "However" the knight continued, "I understand it requires time and effort to paint a portrait as detailed as you do, therefore you will be given the opportunity to reside here until the painting is completed, it will save the time and effort of driving here and back everyday". Victoria nodded and muttered a quiet thank you, Integra nodded back softly, "Now shall we begin the consultation?"

XxX

The artist spent the next hour going through her folios and showing paint samples, Integra would silently nod at things, murmur through her hands or ask to see things again. Victoria didn't mind too much as Integra was never too rude and she got to eat more biscuits. After almost and hour and a half, the consultation was beginning to wrap up, the date was set for the portrait to be painted, the canvas size was decided, and Victoria clarified the time frame and rules for being painted. "Now, considering the canvas size, paint type, and detail, I'm guessing it's going to take at least thirty to forty hours" Victoria clarified.

Integra's eyes widened slightly and the artist stifled a laugh with her hand, "it's okay, you aren't required to sit for that long, ten hours should be sufficient, then I can work from a photo". Victoria wasn't surprised at Integra's shock, she couldn't imagine sitting in a wooden chair for hours on end, while someone you barely know stared at you. "Plus, we can always take breaks, ten hours is a bit much".

It was decided that Victoria would come next Friday, she would stay over the long weekend or as long as necessary to complete the portrait. Both the women stood up and joined together for a parting handshake, Victoria thanked the knight for her hospitality and she was promised a packet of biscuits to be taken home.

XxX

As Victoria was being walked to the front door by Walter she was when he asked what she thought of Sir Integra, the artist thought this was a very out-of-place question, and being suspicious he might rely the comments to the woman herself. She kept it short and simple, saying she appreciated her hospitality and looked forward to painting her portrait, Walter gave a small smile and inclined his head slightly. As Victoria walked closer to the tinted windows she noticed the dark hue to the sky, dusk came early in winter after all. The soft patting of rain on the higher windows was barely noticeable, 'chances are it's a hurricane in my area', she mused bitterly, thinking of the puddles of water she'll have to clean up when she gets home.

Walter opened the great wooden doors and opened a large black umbrella, easily capable of covering the both of them. As they walked out the door into the rain, a blonde women in an unflattering mustard coloured uniform was marching in, she was completely drenched and scowl adored her face. Behind her was an extremely tall man covered in a red duster with a large red hat, a deep rumbling laugh could be heard as he walked past. Victoria didn't get a good look at his face, but she noticed the blonde women's quiet acknowledgement of the two, she stormed down the hallway out of sight. She thought that perhaps the man in the red duster was provoking the blonde, Victoria and her schoolmates used to do it to each other frequently, of course it's something you grow out of as you mature.

XxX

Another silent car ride was a reminder that her communication skills needed improvement. Not too long after she got into the car, her eyes grew heavy, the rain was beginning to fall harder, and sound lulled her to a dreamless sleep. Victoria awoke with a start when someone touched her shoulder, and she cursed her embarrassingly jumpy nature. Walter withdrew a gloved hand when he saw her reaction "I didn't intend to startle you, but we have arrived at your apartment" the butler reminded.

"No, it's fine" she yawned and blinked her eyes into focus. "These seats are more comfortable than my bed, I can't help falling asleep" she joked. Walter chuckled and offered a hand to help her out of the car, Victoria's whole body felt heavy, she took his offer and found him to be rather strong. She slung her bag over her shoulder, and the butler opened the umbrella and walked her to the lobby, he handed her a sealed envelope and more of the biscuits Victoria had earlier. She thanked him, and Walter bowed before striding elegantly back to the car.

As the elevator ascended, she opened the envelope to find it contained a reminder of the date and time she was to arrive at estate, it included a pickup time and a list of suggested items to bring. She stuffed both the letter and the biscuits into the bag and waited for the elevator to take her to her floor. When the elevator opened, she dragged her booted feet down the corridor to her apartment door. Victoria shuffled around her bag for her keys, and the most horrible noise she could imagine reached her ears, Scott was calling her name. She quickly jammed the key into the lock, tore the door open, and slipped inside, before the door closed she could see Scott's heavy build coming around the corner, thank god she remembered her keys.

The exhausted woman tore off her shoes, stockings, skirt and shirt, then changed into a large t-shirt, before wiping the makeup off her face and putting her dark hair into a bun and falling into her single bed, she fell asleep immediately.


	3. Chapter 3- straight vodka please

Thanks for all the views/favs/follows so far. please review :3

Maroongrad: I totally agree, and Integra would completely wreck him. Don't worry he gets what he deserves in this chapter

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Victoria clasped the warm tea in her cold hands, the apartment was always freezing in the morning and even the fur blanket draped around her shoulders didn't help. Although she had nothing planned during the day, when the artist ventured downstairs earlier to collect her mail, she was reminded by Scott that she promised to attend his 'gathering'. The only reason she was actually considering going, was that she was genuinely interested in what his apartment looked like, and if it matched his disgusting greasy attitude, she always pictured a large computer surrounded by rubbish and empty chip packets, possibly a dirty sofa bead aswell. Drumming her long nails against the mug thoughtfully, she was considering what she should do today, it had been along time since the artist had a day off.

XxX

After a mediocre breakfast of toast and coffee, she called to see how Alex went with her interview. Although she had more money in the bank than Victoria, Alex had a family to feed, a family of cats that is anyway,

The phone rang only twice before Alex's loud accented voice was heard over the line.

"Been wonderin' when ya'd call" her voice was long and drawn out, a patronizing tone was evident.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, got home late" Victoria summarized. "get the job?"

Alex paused "well... I think sa', they are gonna let me know today, they said that I only had ta' know how ta' pour drinks 'nd I'll be right",

Victoria snorted "your gonna have to work on your skills, its a pretty high end club isn't it?"

"Yeah I'll be ai'ght , got someon' who said they're gonna look out fa' me, he's a nice bloke, ya'd like him" she mentioned,

Victoria knew what Alex was trying to do, "While I appreciate the scouting for men I never asked you to do, I'm fine by myself" she reminded her.

"Aye that's what I used ta' say before I met mark, I'm sure you'll..." A sudden beeping was heard over the line. "Ah thats probably tha' club, this discussion isn't ova', I'll ring ya later"

Victoria hesitated "okay, but no more man hunting"

Alex snickered "wha'ever ya want dear" after that she hung up and the apartment was once again silent.

XxX

Victoria spent the rest of the day curled in her bed sketching on scraps of paper, the wall behind the artist's bed was covered in sketches, paintings, and every form of art imaginable. About three years ago when she first moved in, she made it a mission to fill the wall, surprisingly it was almost complete, but a few small spaces shone through the assorted bits of colored paper. A large canvas was the centering piece, a portrait done of Victoria and Alex standing next to each other in their military uniforms, the two women had short hair and their faces were covered in dirt, but smiling. It was Alex who painted it, some of the lines were wonky, and the background was dull, but despite the constant pestering from the bluenette to take it down and burn it, Victoria loved it and considered it to be one of her most treasured items, it was a memory of a better time.

XxX

Awaking from her usual afternoon nap, Victoria looked at her phone, it read 8:15 in bright neon colours, the depressing thought of having to attend Scott's 'gathering' drained the energy out of her. Rolling out of bed and dragging several blankets with her, the artist lay on the floor contemplating what to do about the situation, figuring she had nothing better to do than to wash the growing pile of laundry in her bathroom, she decided to attend. Groaning loudly and with much effort she stood up and dragged her feet to the bathroom, where she brushed her hair out and dusted her face lightly with makeup. Pulling her limbs through her clothes proved to take effort aswell, and lacing her boots up seemed to take year to complete. Victoria wasn't sure why she felt so drained but hoped it went away quickly, she couldn't let Scott she her is this weakened state. Stuffing her phone into her jeans and grabbing her keys, she fumbled with the knob of the door before ripping it open. The walk to Scott's door felt more like a march into hell, and after only a handful of long shaky strides she considered turning back, but as the artist swiveled around on her heels to walk back, a large warm hand clasped around her arm. Victoria whipped around to see Scott's freckled smiling face 'shit', yep she definitely regretted her decision now.

As the two were walking back to Scott's apartment, he kept his grip firm around her arm, as if he could tell she was thinking about running away. A couple of times Victoria tried pulling her arm from his sweaty hands, but to no avail. His apartment was only a few paces away now, and she could hear the soft beats of some sort of techno music and a few people idling chattering. Scott let go of the Victoria's arm to push open the door with much force, it appears his door was more busted than hers. As soon as Scott moved to the side Victoria got a good look at his setup, the living room was the same size as hers, but most of the floor space was taken up by a very large ugly looking couch. a table was completely covered with various chips and drinks and his TV was set on a popular music channel. The walls were covered with various posters of video games and headshots of TV and video game characters. As Victoria walked further into the small room, she noticed the stares and whispering coming from many of the guests, making her instantly uncomfortable she retreated into the kitchen. To Victoria's relief only a couple of people, who too were deep in conversation to notice her, were in the room. She leaned against the counter and soon enough Scott walked in, "whats wrong Victoria not having a good time?" He asked standing uncomfortably close to the dark haired women.

Victoria hesitated "I just got here, I need a little time, and I can't help but notice the staring"

"Oh don't worry I'll explain it later" the redhead chuckled "have a drink, it'll help you relax". Scott pulled a bottle of a clear liquid out of the freezer and poured it into a Star Wars mug filled with ice, shoving the mug into Victoria's hands he smiled and walked out of the kitchen. She assumed it must have been vodka by the smell, and drinking straight vodka wasn't particularly pleasant. Pulling open the fridge she found and unopened juice box, puncturing it with her nail, she poured the contents into the mug and it fizzed slightly. Soon after he left another person entered, a woman who was much younger than her, with long black hair wearing an odd white suit and hat, and as if her appearance wasn't unique enough it wasn't long before Victoria noticed that this girl was staring intently at her. Victoria turned around but felt her skin crawl at knowing she still stared, she took her drink off the counter and retreated to the living room.

The artist thought it unusual Scott would be so passive about the matter, but it soon became clear even thinking exhausted her, downing the drink in several mouthfuls she put the empty mug on the counter and relaxed against the couch. It wasn't long before she felt the couch dip beside her, slowly looking up from her phone she peered at the person next to her through her curtain of dark hair. 'Of course it's Scott, of fucking course' she thought, the next moment however took her completely by surprise, a warm hand was felt on her waist, she almost screeched, no man was to touch her without her permission. Her eyes locked with Scott's, "what the shit do you think your doing" Victoria hissed as maliciously as possible.

Scott's beady eyes darted around the room to make sure no one heard her outburst "look, my friends were getting suspicious so I had to prove the I wasn't lying"

"lying about what" she almost screeched.

"About having a girlfriend, look if anyone asks, we've been together for a year" Scott's voice turned suggestive "and yes we're madly in love" he grinned and the grip on Victoria waist tightened.

The artists fists tightened in her lap, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm. Victoria turned her head down to look at the floor, gritting her teeth and holding back tears, 'of course I was taken advantage of, of course I was too stupid to see this was a trap' she thought bitterly, 'everyone here thinks I love this disgusting slimy man, that I sleep with him, that I wants to be here'. Seeing the crowd of people around the door, she ripped Scott's arm off her waist and assuming the configuration was the same as her own apartment she ran to what she thought was the bathroom. She slammed and locked the door behind her, falling against the door and sitting against it. After her watery eyes had adjusted to the dim light she saw that this was not in fact the bathroom, but the mans bedroom. A tear fell out of her eye but she wiped it away quickly, "no one can see me cry, especially not him" she hissed. Looking up at the wall adjacent to her, she saw a poster, of a half naked woman with hair, skin, a nose, and lips similar to hers. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, he was right she did look like her.

After she had calmed down and checked her face in the reflection of her phone, the artist stood up only to find her limbs heavy and her head light, "ah of course, I've been drugged" she growled lowly. she'd been drugged before, and estimated she had less than ten minutes before she passed out completely. Taking in deep breaths to calm herself down, she could feel the rage power her body. 'This twat wouldn't get away with it, i'm going to wreck his shit' Victoria mused, "I will make him pay" she growled. Walking upto the poster of the woman she tore it down violently before pulling open the door, she padded out to the living room to see the disgusting rat talking to a blonde woman, it sounded like reassurance. Some of the guests came up to her and asked if she was okay, it seemed Scott had the fucking nerve to tell people she had 'late morning sickness' explaining her sudden disappearance. Victoria could feel the hatred coming off herself like an aura, people moved out of the way, leading a path right to the bastard himself. She stood right infront of Scott, "there you are dear, I was getting worried" he laughed nervously looking around seeing if people would buy it, he again tried to make some form of physical contact, but Victoria sharply slapped away his arm. She didn't see his surprise, her face was downcast and the dark mass of hair fell around her like a curtain, she was breathing heavily. It was deadly silent, the artists nails cut into her hand and her mouth formed a snarl, "don't ever touch me again you sick shit!" Her head whipped up and she met Scott's eyes, her face twisted with rage. "You are fucked, and I would never EVER date you"

Scott begun to say something, but never got any words out. "YOU, YOU LIED TO THESE PEOPLE TO FULFIL YOUR OWN SHITTY FANTASY, YOU TRICKED ME, YOU DRUGGED ME, YOU WERE PROBABLY GOING TO RAPE ME" Victoria howled with rage, the words rebounding off every wall. "YOU STALKED ME, YOU WATCHED ME, YOU TOUCHED ME" Scott again reached out to touch her shoulder 'I'm so sor-" he was cut off, and moments later he fell to the ground. Victoria hit him square in the nose witch a closed fist and short swing. "you don't get it. I said, don't, fucking, touch ME" every word she spoke got progressively louder. she peered down at the pathetic mess on the ground, writhing and trying to stop the rushing of blood form his nose, he sounded like he was weeping. "You ever come near me, talk to me, or touch me again, and I will break every bone in your body" there was no reply "DO YOU UNDERSTAND" she shrieked at the body near her feet, a small gurgled yes was audible.

Her head pounded, the drugs were really taking effect, she had to get back home right now. Everyone was still silent, in shock, several people had their hands covering their mouth, speechless, except for the young girl with black hair who was quietly snickering. As she approached the mass they cleared a pathway for her to the door. She ripped open the door and marched down the hallway, her vision blurred as she reached her door, fumbling to put the key into the hole, she finally managed to shove it in and rip door open. She threw down her bag and crawled to her couch, moments later she blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4 - A midwinters nightmare

more of a filler sorry, feel free to skip

* * *

Darkness, is all she saw, cold all she felt. Every inch of her bare flesh was exposed to the freezing air, she went to curl into a ball but found herself held down by some unknown restraint. Panicking, Victoria began to struggle violently, thrashing, trying to make the bonds disappear. After much struggling she broke her restraints and began flailing against the things around her trying to escape the pitch darkness. The woman tried to scream but no noise came out. Something brushed against her face, long, thin and very soft, she briefly stopped her movement, to scared to move. Victoria could feel the air move around her as more of the mysterious objects appeared, she began to blindly claw and fight off the objects. They wrapped around the flailing limbs, again holding her down, firmly and softly, she tried to break them but was unsuccessful. After only several seconds every inch of her body was covered by the soft writhing ropes, she felt herself warming up but remained frightened and alert trying to control her heavy breathing. Looking up from what she assumed was her body, the woman saw thousands of different sized eyes peering at her unblinkly, their crimson glowing Iris's illuminated the darkness around her, she tried to scream but in the new dark red light she saw a black shadowy tendril approach and wrap around her mouth. Completely still and unable to move she flickered her eyes around, checking for a break in the wall of red eyes. Suddenly a strong deep voice resounded against the walls, "Victoria" it addressed her "wake up" it commanded. The women stopped fighting and realized she was dreaming, she snapped awake drenched in a cold sweat.

XxX

Still heaving from her dream induced panic, she surveyed her surroundings. Somehow during her heavy sleep, she rolled off the couch onto the cold wooden floor. Trying to prop herself up on her arms, she was met with two different pains, the pounding in her head, and the sharp stinging pain in her hand. The artist recalled the dream perfectly, remembering every detail, including the violent thrashing against the shadowy bonds and the thousands of staring eyes. Her eyes adjusted to the natural light illuminating the apartment, she saw the wreckage that surrounded her couch, the table had flipped over, empty coffee mugs were smashed and papers were everywhere. She was speechless, sure sometimes she would kick or wriggle in her sleep, but never anything this violent, she figured all the struggling she did in her dream was taken out on her coffee table. Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve she stood up and walked to the bathroom, flicking on the light she finally bothered to attend to the sharp throbbing pain in her left hand. Pulling her hand up to eye level, she was shocked to see long shards of porcelain embedded the soft flesh of her palm, it was fortunate for her that she was right handed. Dried blood caked the wounds making it difficult to see what the damage was, although she had seen much more gruesome wounds in her time with the military, she had readjusted to her boring life, this was something shocking to her. Pulling open the cabinet on the wall she located a peer of tweezers and a roll of gauze, gritting her teeth and holding the tweezers tightly she began the process to pulling out the shards. After every shard she pulled, a thick slow stream of blood would follow dripping into the dirty porcelain sink below. The whole process took almost half an hour and it seemed she had a good roll in the broken mug fragments as there were some shards aswell as tiny chips embedded in her arms. Victoria wrapped her entire hand in gauze and put plasters on the tiny cuts decorating her arms, thankfully it seems she absorbed most of the damage in her hand.

Victoria padded out of the bathroom and flopped back on the couch, she had time to think about last nights events. Looking at her unwrapped dominant hand, she saw her knuckles were bruised, "ah how could I forget" the artist mused, replying last nights events in her head she fondly remembered her knuckles connecting with Scott's nose. A smile pulled at her lips, her usual timid nature was always shadowed when anger was involved. At least now she was sure that Scott would keep his distance, although she would never break every bone it someone's body, he was scared enough to believe she would. Her phone lay on the floor, the screen was thankfully intact, switching it one she looked at the time 11:30. Walter was coming at 12, "shit, what is it with me and being late" Victoria complained, walking to the kitchen she rustled around in a draw until she found what she was looking for, pulling out a small packet triumphantly she popped the last oval shaped pill out of the metallic casing. Putting the small pill in her mouth she swallowed it and continued rushing around attempting to redeem her reputation for being late.

She would definitely not have enough time to shower, the artist sprayed every perfume, scented spay and deodorant she owned on herself and hoped no one had a particularly good sense of smell. After Victoria had thrown a variety of clothing, toiletries and other personal items in a small suitcase, she began the work of packing up the ridiculous amount of paints and brushes she owned. Stuffing everything she needed into two small bags she checked her phone again 11:50 it read, she had ten minutes to run downstairs and wait out the front. The pounding her her head had began to subside, but a new feeling had began to emerge, anxiousness. Ignoring the blooming feelings of doubt, she pulled the overstuffed heavy suitcase towards the door, looking back at the room she turned off the lights and headed out the door.

Looking up and down the busy London streets, Victoria was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the familiar black car. It began to lightly snow, the soft white flakes landing on her dark hair, she could feel fingers began to go numb in her coat pockets. She checked her phone again, it read 12:15, "who's late now" she thought bitterly, a white puff of frozen breath followed when she huffed in annoyance. After what seemed like forever, the black-clad butler pulled up in a car of the same colour, she held her hand up in a 'don't worry about it' gesture when he began to climb out of his side to open her door. She was capable of opening a car door, no reason for them both to be cold. Pulling open the door she climbed in the car and fell onto the soft leather seats, the two exchanged the usual pleasantries and the engine started up again causing the car to began moving. Victoria settled down in her seat, preparing for the long drive, after awhile she eventually zoned out while watching the snow fall on the countryside, the dream still pulled at her, she needed to know what it meant.

* * *

again sorry about the short chapter. And I know my spelling and grammars' pretty bad, yes English is my first language im just terrible at it. if while any of you are reading and the spelling, grammar, or anything gets annoying please tell me so i can step up my game, but at this point i cant personally notice it.

Thanks for reading please review


	5. Chapter 5 - you'll get what you deserve

sorry guys, I really did try to get this out on time, but I got a literal ton of essays and assignments over this past week. But now im ending my school term so I should be able to update more frequently. heres a long chapter to make up for it.

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The car ride to the estate never seemed to be any shorter, however this time she managed to stay awake and able to watch the snowy countryside roll by. During the car ride she could feel her stomach became uneasy, most likely a combination side effect along with the headache. When they finally arrived at the estate and Walter helped her out, she could feel the pounding in her head return. Walter pulled her bags out of the tiny trunk and when he turned to hand them to her he noticed Victoria's glassy eyes and unsteady stance. "Are you alright?" His eyebrows furrowed and he stepped forward in her direction. Victoria nodded and waved her hand lazily, she clamped her mouth shut afraid if she opened it the butlers white undershirt, wouldn't be so white anymore. He nodded slowly and folded out the handle of her suitcase and began pulling it behind him, he then motioned for her to follow him and she was lead to the same tall oak doors as on her first visit. The armed guards were absent and Walter instead pushed the doors open alone. Leading the woman inside out of the cold, she was met with a flush of warm air, and the stiffness in her joints and muscles melted immediately and she felt slightly more at ease. Victoria followed the Hellsing butler to the same room as she came to be familiar with, a large roaring fire both illuminated and warmed the room. "I'll take your bags to your room, Sir Integra wishes to speak to you before the job begins" Walter remarked, he then bowed in typical butler fashion and left the room. She slowly sat down on the sofa careful not to cause to much movement. Her stomach had began to settle slightly, but she opted not to eat any of the cakes, biscuits and pasties ever present on the table.

XxX

It was not long after Victoria made herself comfortable that she heard someone yelling, it was very faint and far away but she was sure of it. Turning off the music playing through her headphones, she heard a woman's voice, Sir Integra's. 'hopefully she isn't angry at me' Victoria thought frowning. The voice sounded closer and louder now and she could hear heavy footsteps pounding on the wooden floor as they walked down the corridor, they they stopped just outside the door. Sir Integra lowered her voice but it was still very audible, "I don't care how you feel about it, you will stay away from her, DO YOU HEAR ME" she growled, her tone quickly escalating. Another voice could be heard, this one was male and much quieter, she couldn't make out what it said. Seconds later the door was ripped open and the artist almost dropped her phone in surprise, she looked up and saw Integra standing in the doorway. The knights' cheeks were mildly flushed and her face framed by her long blonde hair held anger and annoyance. "Follow me" her tone had evened out but she still looked tense. Jumping up quickly, Victoria shoved her phone in her pocket and followed Integra, the artist had to quietly jog to meet up with her fast pace. Walking down the same wooden corridor, she saw another blonde women pacing the room ahead, "Seras!" Integra barked. Seras whipped around and after seeing the angry knight striding in her direction, she quickly snapped her legs together and raised her gloved hand to her forehead in a salute.

"Yes sir" she called timidly, "wait who is she?" The blonde released her salute and moved her head to look behind the Integra, seeing Victoria walking nervously behind her.

"Never mind her" Integra snapped, Victoria wasn't sure to be insulted or not, but she guessed the knight was still in a bad mood. "I need you to tell Alucard that you have a mission soon and should prepare posthaste" her tone had evened but held an annoyed tone.

"Y-yes sir" Seras' stuttered taking she took on a much more nervous demeanor after hearing this news. She saluted again and quickly walked out of the room and down the corridor. Victoria whipped around and watched her walk down the long corridor, she noticed how short her skirt was and thought about the freezing winter winds outside, 'poor girl' she mused.

When she turned back around Integra was in the middle of the room and was staring up at a wall, the artist quickly rushed to her side and looked up at the same wall. A very old but well maintained portrait hung on the wall, a young looking man with similar features as Integra. Looking at the plaque beneath the painting, she wasn't instantly able to make out what was written, taking a few strides forward she saw on the little golden plaque written in cursive it read 'Arthur Hellsing'. She assumed the portrait was painted when the man was young, as most people chose to have their portrait done in their youngest days. She turned around and saw Integra in a sort of trance, her gaze was transfixed at he man. Victoria decided to break the silence "who was he?" She asked.

"He was my father, the previous leader of Hellsing" the knight said in a morose tone

"I'm sorry for your loss" the artist said awkwardly, looking away from Integra's neutral face. She had guessed that she'd touched on a sensitive topic.

"The portrait" she began, I want it on that wall". Integra gestured to the wall behind her, adjacent to her fathers picture.

Victoria looked up at the empty wall "yeah. I think that'll work".

"Walter will take you to your room, make yourself comfortable then we'll begin, sound fair?" She turned around to ensure Victoria heard. She noticed the butler standing in the corner, and couldn't recall him entering the room, she found his stealthiness unsettling.

"Erm yes sir" she hesitated and was unsure if she should salute,

"I'll see you in an hour" the Hellsing leader called as the artist was led out the room.

XxX

Walter silently paced infront of Victoria and after awhile she had zoned out completely, a million other thoughts on her mind. she only snapped out of her trance when she was taken by surprise, Walter had suddenly stopped walking, causing her to bump into his tall thin frame. she let out a startled apology, the butler inclined his head a small smile pulling at his lips. 'he must think I'm a scatterbrain or something' she thought dimly. Walter opened the door that she was led to, ushering the woman inside the room, she saw a massive king sized bed covered in the finest linen, large windows letting in light and an attached bathroom and dressing room. The room however smelt dusty and presumably hadn't been used for awhile. Having to contain the excitement the king bed had elicited, she calmly thanked Walter and he yet again bowed and left the room. As soon as the butler closed the door, she tore off her boots and squealing she flung herself into the bed. Her single cheap mattress at home frequently caused back problems, but this one melted to her form and was unbelievably comfortable. Suddenly it occurred to her that she had no idea where her bags were, her head popped out of the blankets and she surveyed the room, "in the closet maybe" she murmured, rolling out of bed she wrapped herself in a large fur blanket. Victoria approached the walk-in closet and when she pulled open the dark ceder doors, she saw a shadowy figure standing in the small space, shrieking loudly she jumped backwards and scrambled away from the room. After she was a sufficient amount of space away, Victoria looked at where the figure was, noticing it was missing she crept forward and flicked on the light, and there in the mirror stood a disgruntled looking figure with a fur blanket wrapped around it, it was her she saw, "I was afraid of my own reflection, of course I was scared of something so stupid" she huffed, looking around the now lit room she saw her two suitcases sitting against the wall, pulling them out of the small room she threw them onto the messy bed.

XxX

Victoria put away all her clothes in the wardrobe and began pulling out all the paints and brushes. Out of the smaller bags came a total of 29 oil paint tubes, 23 brushes and 4 wooden palettes. Checking everything was there, she threw everything back into the suitcase to be wheeled to the painting site, no way she was carrying this all by hand. The artist estimated that her time was almost up, deciding to make herself presentable again, she retreated to the bathroom. looking in the mirror her dark hair had fallen out of it's braid, she pulled the ties and pins free letting her wavy hair fall around her shoulders and back. She moved onto examining her eyes, they seemed dull and tired, she thought of the bed and couldn't wait until she could crawl in into it's warm covers and sleep for hours. She again had lost focus and only came to when a knock echoed around the large room, she stuck her head out of the bathroom and saw no one had entered "er, come in?" She asked uncertainly.

Walter elegantly strided into the room "sorry to disturb you m'am, Sir Integra will see you now",

"Ah yes", she walked over to the paint bag and hoisted it over her shoulder, "alright I'm ready",

"Unfortunately you cannot take the blanket with you" he remarked condescendingly.

"Huh? What do you mea-" Victoria stopped mid sentence, realising that she still had the beds blanket wrapped around her like a cloak. The woman's face reddened and she silently walked over to the bed where she dumped the blanket. Walking quietly she followed Walter out the door, blushing profusely out of embarrassment.

XxX

Luckily by the time they had reached the drawing room, the heat and redness in her face had subsided. Walking through the door she saw Integra sitting awkwardly on the sofa, almost like she was unused to it. The butler bowed then left the room, leaving both women alone. The artist saw the large canvas leaning against the far wall, she calmly placed her bag on the floor before quickly pacing over to see it. The canvas was rectangular and much taller than her, not to mention wider, placing her hand on the surface she ran her fingertips lightly over the material, the canvas was insanely soft and smooth, it was unlike anything she had painted on before. The size and quality of this canvas was remarkable, "if I might ask Sir, where did you find such a canvas?" Victoria asked in awe, still feeling the material.

"It was imported from Italy" the knight remarked "I will have only the best for my portrait" she added.

Victoria wondered if she was talking about her aswell, "probably not, after the canvas she would have had a tight budget" she thought grimly.

"I will also provide a variety of paint if you require" Integra mentioned absently,

The artist turned around to face Integra, "Well since everything's here how about we get started?"

Integra inclined her head "of course".

XxX

Integra sat in an old wooden chair, her platinum blonde hair framing her olive skinned face, and complimenting her regal features. The knight sat next to a lit fire, illuminating her features, adding dramatic lighting. Victoria set herself up adjacent to the women, a little ways away, since the canvas was so big she opted to prop it off the ground and she would paint standing, this would certainly be a challenge as later on a step ladder would be required to reach the top of the canvas. Victoria had a large table beside her with all her brushes and paint laid out, along with the extra paint and paint tools that were bought for her to use.

Lifting the brush to the canvas she laid down a stroke, but that's as far as she got as a loud knock echoed throughout the smaller fire lit room. She grumbled something inaudible, there was nothing she hated more than being interrupted while painting. "I'll get it sir" she called to Integra who made a motion implying she was going to stand up, there was no way the pose would be the same again if she moved. Victoria stuck the paintbrush in her bun like a hairstick and walked over to the closed door, pulling it open she expected to be met with Walter or someone of normal height, but instead she only saw a black waistcoat and the endings of a red cravet. She stood in an awkward silence for several seconds before taking a step back to see the full figure infront of her, a very tall man adored in Victorianesque clothing except for the strange glasses and outrageously red coat and hat. His pale skin contrasted greatly to the inky black hair spilling from underneath his wide brimmed hat and he wore a smug grin, he looked down at the women infront of him. From his point of view he could see a average sized women looking up at him, she had an annoyed expression on her face and was blowing hair out of her face furiously.

The man in the red coat spoke first, "I need to speak to my master"

Victoria's expression changed to confusion "master?" She questioned. The women had never heard anyone in reality call their superior that title.

"Yes, my master, step aside" his deep voice commanded

The artist growled and moved to the side, she hated being commanded, especially by someone bigger than her. 'Christ, no human needs to be that tall' she thought bitterly. Victoria stepped to the side and allowed the man in red to pass, he took long strides before bowing before Integra. The artist had walked back to the canvas and began slowly mixing colours. The two were talking very quietly but she could hear something about a priest, this peaked her interest and she was trying hard to make out what they were saying while pretending to paint. Victoria picked up the words "Seras, Anderson, catholic and ghoul", she had no idea what an Anderson or ghoul was but she recognized the name of the blonde women and remembered something about her going on a mission. The Hellsing leader and strange man didn't talk for much longer, and she was surprised when her name was called.

"Victoria, come here" Integra called

Her patience was wearing thin, she didn't want to end up behind schedule. She huffed loudly and walked out from behind the canvas, seeing Integra she was pleased to discover that she hadn't moved an inch since the conversation started. Approaching the pair she noticed the man watching her walk across the room, his head following her movements and although she couldn't see his eyes, the fire reflected off his already tinted glasses almost making them glow unnaturally. Victoria stood stiffly infront of Integra "yes sir" she responded obediently, glancing sideways at the man in the red duster still watching her intently.

"This is Alucard, he's a..." she paused briefly "employee of mine" the knight finished. She turned her head to address the man called Alucard, "Victoria is an artist I have hired to paint my portrait she will stay here until it's finished, you are to leave her alone while she is painting" she emphasized the last part quite noticeably.

"Yes master" Alucard lowered his head and placed a gloved hand on his chest. He then straightened and turned to face Victoria, "your rather young to be a painter aren't you?" He asked "and a women nonetheless" he remarked in a surprised tone.

Victoria gritted her teeth together and dug her nails into her palm, "Alucard" Integra said warningly seeing Victoria's face redden in anger. Alucard had started out with good intentions trying to start a conversation, but sensing her rising anger he decided to have fun with it.

"In my day, artists were highly respected and revered" the man said smugly "they were only the most talented of men", his lips were pulled into a smirk and he eagerly awaited Victorias reaction, expecting her to flip out and throw a fit such as he saw her do to at the party.

Victoria had realised he was messing with her, but she wasn't going to ignore it, "Well..." she began slowly, "in my day, artists don't actually give a shit about what you think" she said in a sing song voice, "And im guessing an old man like you, doesn't have much talent either" she added. Alucard's smug aura and expression had dropped immediately. He was extremely irritated that she responded differently than he thought, and it showed when his smirk faltered and his jaw became tense. Knowing there was nothing he could do while his master was present, Alucard growled and strided out of the room, shutting the door loudly behind him.

"Sorry about the language sir, but he was pissing me off" Victoria growled

The knight smirked, "he's rather moody this time of day, he saw it coming. Now let's continue"

Victoria nodded and walked over to the canvas, she pulled the brush from her bun, realising she had a lot of work ahead of her.


	6. Chapter 6 - Make her pay

thank you everyone for the follows/views!

sorry for the short chapter, I've had a busy week,

thanks for reading, please review it helps me heaps.

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The creeping stiffness in Victoria's joints was slowly becoming unbearable, and her feet had began to burn from the hours of standing. Looking out from behind the canvas the antique clock adjacent to her read 6:45. She had been painting for much longer than she anticipated and it showed in both the aching in her joints and the soreness in her eyes. Glancing at Integra she saw how tired and uncomfortable she was aswell, throughout the many hours she hadn't moved an inch and spoke very little if at all. Placing the brushes in the glass of solvent beside her she rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes, and flexed her fingers and wrists trying to ease the discomfort. Victoria began tidying the massive mess she had made, looking up from cleaning brushes she addressed Integra,

"I think that's enough for today yeah?" the artist asked, wiping her paint covered hands over her jeans.

"How much longer will I need to sit for tomorrow?" Integra asked irritably, slowly standing up she felt the aching in her stiff muscles and longed to lie down.

Victoria glanced at the canvas, she had most of Integra's figure painted but still needed time, "another hour or two maybe", looking over she expected to see Integra's relived face but was instead met with an unnerving stare, "don't worry it's not much longer, I swear" she reassured nervously.

Integra grunted and strided toward the door, she ripped open the door and as she was partway through the frame she turned to address Victoria, "when your done here return to your room, Walter will bring you your dinner". Her tone was still understandably irritable, at least Victoria had something to do, Integra must have insanely bored.

"Oh, alright" she couldn't hide the surprise in her tone, she hadn't expected she would be dining alone, especially in her room. Victoria had expected a long dining table with everyone seated as far away from each other as possible while awkward conversation was made, that's what she had seen all rich people do in the movies anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" She asked.

"Yes, goodnight" the knight replied before disappearing from the doorway and shutting the door loudly behind her. The room was then completely silent and growing darker by the minute as the fire was beginning to die, Victoria quietly returned to cleaning her area.

while she was in the middle of cleaning a particularly large brush, the artist had a feeling she was being watched. Glancing around the room she struggled to see everything in the darkened corners of the room, the shadows flicked around the room almost as if they had a mind of their own. Suddenly the window burst open and a burst of cold winter air rushed into the room extinguishing the dying fire. Victoria squeaked when the room was suddenly engulfed in darkness, she quickly put down what she was cleaning and ran over to the window and with much force pushed it shut. The next step was to restore light to the pitch black room, walking over to were she assumed the wall was she ran her hands over the surface before it connected with an old chunky light switch, she flicked it on but the room remained dark. The artist huffed and continued to feel the wall for a working switch, it wasn't long before her outstretched hand blindly waving around in the darkness connected with something. Victoria continued to feel the surface underneath her hand, she decided it was material based, "tapestry" she thought. However she hadn't recalled seeing anything made of material on the wall, and being as curious as she was, she continued to feel horizontally along the surface and soon come into contact with a different material altogether. While the other one was heavy and almost felt like, this one was light and cotton feeling. She pressed harder against the cotton and her hand was met with a hard surface, "huh, what the hell?" She mumbled. Moving her hand around more she could feel buttons, it was a shirt, and it clicked in her head, she had been feeling a person for the last five minutes. Shrieking she jumped backwards and retreated to the opposite end of the room as far away from whatever she felt, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness slightly but she struggled to see the outline of the person she felt. Feeling braver Victoria inched her way closer to the adjacent wall, the lights had been turned on in the corridor outside and a strip of light shone through under the door. illuminating the small area around the door and the light switch, she saw there was nothing, no person, no tapestry, nothing. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears, at this point she'd had enough. The artist grabbed her jacket and quickly rushed out of the room slamming the door behind her, she rushed down the hall too scared to look back.

Earlier

Alucard was livid, this weak human woman had insulted him, and the worst part was that she could get away with it, there was nothing he could do while Integra was present. He looked down at Victoria's smug expression, she was proud of what she did, and that annoyed him further, no one had ever insulted him and walked away alive, he wanted to rip the smirk right off her face. Deciding that tearing her apart were she stood wasn't worth the punishment he would receive, he tore his angry gaze from the artists and strided out of the room. As Alucard left the room he heard Integra comment on his defeat, pissing him off further, his mouth broke into a snarl and he let out a low growl. walking back to his room he boiled with rage and hatred, Victoria was his next target an he vowed to break her.

Alucard discreetly watched Victoria paint, he silently moved around the room careful to stay in the shadows, and as the fire began to die he was able to advance closer to where the two women were positioned. The vampire knew that Integra was aware of his presence but she was cornered, if she began screaming at someone who wasn't there to leave, Victoria would think her less than sane. At this point Victoria knew nothing about Hellsings true intentions and the secret underworld of vampires and ghouls, Integra intended it to stay this way, she didn't need liabilities and their identity shown. However after hours of watching Integra grind her teeth together and Victoria lay stroke after stroke of paint on the canvas, he grew progressively more agitated. Alucard had to stay hidden until the knight left the room and thus left Victoria exposed. His plan to make her pay would begin today and end only when she left the property on Monday, he decided to torture her slowly over a long period rather than at once, as long as there was no physical harm Integra couldn't punish him. Centuries of unlife had left Alucard bored and in search of entertainment, Integra had over the years become desensitized to his wicked tricks, but this new girl brought new opportunities. He had already tested his boundaries earlier by appearing in her wardrobe mirror, however her reaction was less than desirable, but after the earlier incident he decided Victoria was deserving of the more severe plot he had planned. the vampire knew he little choice but to wait it out.

After a few more hours, both women started showing signs of fatigue and after an hour more, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Alucards target now stood alone in the room, and he finally had an opportunity to get even. Victoria was distracted with washing the brushes in a foul smelling liquid, and he was able to move into position while she was distracted. Manipulating his shadowy tendrils, the vampire was able to lift the latch on the window and the wind did the rest. The room was now engulfed in darkness and he watched Victoria fumble around in the darkness looking for a source of light, meanwhile Alucard summoned his familiar and waited for Victoria to be in a suitable position. He had once tested her reaction to his wall of eyes in a dream and her reaction was satisfactory and in real life he expected her reaction would increase tenfold, he couldn't wait to see her scream. Alucard had carefully been watching Victoria fumble around in the darkness, and thought it funny how ignorant she was, he had to wait for the perfect opportunity. However it wasn't long before Victoria found the light switch, knowing she couldn't see him in this state Alucard revered back to his 'human' appearance, he waited for the lights too come on and for the inevitable abuse he would receive from the artist for scaring her. However none of that happened and if Alucard had been human, he would have let out a sigh of relief, the light switch didn't work and he thanked the faulty wiring throughout the house. He could see her coming closer and closer, there was nothing he could do or summon while she was this close, hoping Victoria would avoid him completely so he could try again, Alucard stood completely still and watched her pat the wall repeatedly. He was briefly distracted when he heard Walter walking up the hall towards his direction, he cursed mentally and hoped he wouldn't come into the room. While he was focused on the door he didn't notice the tugging on his clothes, looking down he saw Victoria pressing on chest, he felt his anger for her diminish slightly when he saw the confusion on her face.

"Huh, what the hell?" She mumbled

He had to resist laughing, for some reason this was completely hilarious to the vampire. She was supposed to be scared but instead she was completely confused and had no idea what he was. Alucard waited for it to click in her mind of what it was she was feeling, and it wasn't long before the woman understood, she shrieked and shot backwards away from him. He was close to bursting out laughing, although the whole situation didn't go as planned, he was satisfied with the result and she proved to be an interesting source of entertainment. Deciding not much more would happen, he passed through the wall behind him and entered the now lit corridor, he turned around and met face to face with Walter.

"What did you do?" He asked accusingly,

"Nothing anyone can prove" the vampire replied

"remember what Sir Integra said" the butler reminded

the vampire smirked, "how could I forget".

Present

As Alucard continued his journey down the hallway back to his room, he saw Victoria rush past him,

"in a hurry?" he called to her as she continued to race down the hall.

The woman whipped her head around to see who addressed her, Alucard noted the disappointment on her face. "erm, no not really" she said quietly, she was still shaken.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" he commented smugly amusement in his voice,

Victoria narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "i'm onto you red" she mumbled, the artist then turned back around and continued walking away and out of sight.

The vampire laughed quietly, "your move".


	7. Chapter 7 - A night at Hellsing manor

Victoria quickly rushed back to her room and shut the door quickly behind her, she leant against the closed door briefly before sliding down to the floor into a heap, "this house is fucking haunted I swear to god" she huffed. She tried to regain her breath and even heartbeat, she sat on the floor and leant against the door, looking out the large window she saw white flakes graze the glass and fall onto the trees outside. Victoria pulled her legs to her chest and rest her head on her knees, she zoned out and was left alone with her thoughts.

XxX

Alucard returned back to his underground room and reclined in his throne, folding one leg over the other and leaning back. Swirling a glass of blood-wine he watched the small whirlpool form, mesmerised by the flowing crimson liquid he became deep in thought. He had become interested in this women ever since his master had mentioned her, and it was to his advantage when the woman commanded him to follow her around to see if she was who she said she was. The vampire had been present at her neighbors party, in disguise of course, he remembered seeing the anger and strength in her eyes, and how she took down the lecherous human with a single hit, no mercy, no remorse, just strength. He thought her much like Seras, appearing weak and shy, but when angered become a powerful force to be reckoned with, he could see her potential to mentor the fledgling. Something bothered him though, both her psychical and psychological resemblance to a person in his past was unsettling. He took a sip from the glass, turned his attention to the earlier events, although he admired her human strength, much like he did Integra's, he wouldn't let her get him back and have the advantage, Alucard decided to merge her test and his amusement into one war. The vampire was eager to begin his new game of cat and mouse.

XxX

Seras sat on her bed, she was going to miss it's warm comfort greatly when her coffin arrived. She looked down at the wrapped wounds on her leg, they were taking a very long time to heal and still occasionally bled. When the fledgling asked her master about it, he simply chastised her for getting in the way and not being strong enough to heal, it was only later Walter had told her it was because she wasn't drinking blood that she wasn't healing. She remembered the disappointed look on her master's and sir Integra's face when she failed her mission, and how Alucard had to clean up her mess. She pulled her knees to her chest and sighed, "why did I choose this" she murmured to herself. Seras rolled onto her side and faced the wall, feeling like a failure, disappointment and sadness manifested within herself. One day she hoped to become a true vampire like her master, and him finally see her as an equal.

XxX

The Hellsing leader changed into her nightclothes and climbed into her king sized bed, the thick covers wrapping around her frame. Walter hadn't restocked the fire, and the flames that danced around the logs were slowly retreating into the ash and coals. Integra shivered and shuffled further down into the covers, she stared at the window next to the bed, seeing the estate covered in a white blanket of snow. She wasn't used to going to bed this early as she was always up doing paperwork, however the tiredness she experienced earlier quickly left her once she climbed into bed. The knight contemplated returning to her desk to work, but found her body was too tired to move while her mind was wide awake. She sighed and rolled over, it was going to be a long night.

XxX

Victorias back ached and she stood from her balled up position, she stretched her back and arms. While recovering from her scare, she'd had time to think about what happened, the woman concluded that it was somehow Alucards fault, probably revenge for her earlier actions. 'It had to be him who else could it be?' she reasoned within herself. Walking to the messy bed she flopped onto its soft covers, and lay there for several minutes before propping herself up on the pillows. From her half laying position on her bed she saw her illuminated phone laying on the floor, groaning she tried to grab the out of reach device but fell off the bed in her attempt. Crawling across the wooden floor she finally reached the phone, she was so tired even standing up and walking back to the bed exhausted her. Victoria lay on her back and held the phone infront of her face, "oh shit" she whispered to herself. 9 missed calls and 15 texts, it seems Alex was desperate to reach her. Not knowing if she would be awake at this hour, the artist tried her luck and called.

After only four rings, the blue haired woman picked up "'ello, Vicky!? I've been tryna reach ya' fer ages!? Why didn't ya pick up!" She yelled over the pounding music in the background.

"What?" Victoria struggled to hear what she was saying "you need to turn the music off!" She yelled into the phone.

"Huh?" Alex still couldn't hear, "hold on a sec', I'll go outside" she yelled back. There was some louder background noise of people talking and Victoria could hear Alex excusing herself. The music began to fade until it was only a low boom in the background, "this betta'?" She asked.

"Much" Victoria laughed. "Whats with all the stalking? Why are you trying reach me so bad, you know I'm on a commission" she sighed, Alex always forgot where she was and freaked out when she wasn't home.

"Well I 'ave allot ta' say, so make ya'self comfy" she began excitedly, Victoria could imagine Alex pacing around in excitement which she occasionally did.

"Step one done, continue" she breathed,

"Well, fir'sta all, I got tha' job, actually at tha' club now, I'm gonna start off waitressing but tha' owna' said once I've been 'ere for awhile, I can be a bartend'a" Alex blurted out.

"Ah congrats, knew ya could do it" she congratulated, "hopefully this one will stick" Victoria said solemnly.

"I 'ope it does, I like it 'ere everyone's really nice...and I get paid heaps! And I get ta' let friends in for free, ya know what that means aye" she said suggestively.

Victoria played along, "what does it mean?"

"We can finally go out togetha', because ya can afford it!" she squealed excitedly. Alex was always unintentionally blunt, Victoria knew she didn't mean it but that didn't mean it hadn't gotten her in trouble before. "How about when ya get back?" She asked.

"Yeah sure I'd love to" Victoria replied,

Alex chuckled, "oh 'nd Scott's lookin' for ya, also somethin' fucked up his face" she snorted.

"Ah that something would be me" she laughed,

Alex paused, "I expect details lata', but good on ya, was only a matta' of time before he got hit" she giggled. "Oh I 'ave ta' go, breaks almost ova', I'll call ya tomorrow ya?" She asked

"Yeah sure, oh wait before you go.." Victoria lowered her voice to a whisper, "how do you get someone back without getting caught or in trouble?" she whispered, looking around making sure no one was in her room.

"Hm that's tough, but tha' best way is ta' make it look like n' accident, ya can't get in trouble that way" She mused

Victoria thought about it, of course, can't get mad at an accident she concluded. "Thanks heaps Alex, I'll talk to you tomorrow, have fun" she said absently, her mind elsewhere.

"No problem, bye" she shouted over the club music,

"Bye" Victoria replied. The phone line died and the room was again silent.

Victoria looked at the time on her phone, 10:00, it was very late and her dinner still hadn't arrived, although she didn't mind it's not like she was hungry anyway. Sighing she rolled onto her side and curled into a ball to preserve heat, the woman had time to think and was logically doubtful that it was Alucard, but she had a nagging feeling it was him. All through her life Victoria had trusted this feeling, and she wasn't about to doubt it, something about the proud look on his face pissed her off, she concluded it had to be his fault. Feeling less guilty about her hostile feelings, she began to devise her revenge plan.

XxX

Walter strided up the corridor away from his confrontation with Alucard, he knew that the vampire was upto no good, but also knew there was nothing serious he could do after Integra's orders. That reminded him to bring the knight her dinner, walking down the many corridors and hallways he finally reached her office, finding that she wasn't there he proceeded to look for her in her bedroom. On her bedroom door was a piece of paper, written in neat cursive it read 'no dinner Walter, do not disturb' thinking the orders very odd, he knocked lightly on the wooden door before pushing it open, in the dim light from the hallway lights he saw her figure laying in bed, figuring there was nothing else he could do, he left the knight in peace. Feeling fatigued himself, the butler began walking towards his own room to recline for the night, as he was walking he had a nagging feeling he was forgetting something important. He stopped walking and rubbed his temples slowly, trying to remember Integra's instructions, he paused his movement and his eyes widened, he forgot the guests dinner. Rushing as quietly as he could down the hall he ran to the kitchen and began heating Victorias dinner, "I can't believe I forgot" he said out loud in complete disbelief. 15 minutes later he rushed down the hall towards Victoria's room and rapped vigorously on the door, several minutes later the tired looking artist opened the door.

Victoria yawned and rubbed her eyes, although she hadn't been asleep the artist was close to it. "Yes Walter?" She asked somewhat impatiently,

Walter hadn't missed the bite in her tone and felt genuinely bad about his screw up, "I'm very sorry for the late dinner miss, there was a mix up in the kitchen" he easily lied.

Her glazed over eyes focused on the cart piled with different dishes and drinks. "Bring it in" she yawned again, while opening the door wide. After choosing desirable dishes she dismissed Walter after his barrage of apologies and promises for it to not happen again. After the butler left she sat in the corner chair and began picking at the bread and pasta she chose, as good as they tasted it turned out she still wasn't hungry. Giving up after eating only a few mouthfulls of each dish she retired to bed for good, determined to fall asleep this time.

XxX

Alucard was awake for the whole night as Seras' lessons wouldn't start for two more hours, he decided to spy on his target, he arrived just after she ended a phone call with a person called Alex. He watched her fuss around the room for awhile before she retired to her bed, after only a short while she had fallen into a light sleep-like state. The vampire watched her from the shadows, and considered waking her up, in his own style of course. He crept closer, but was forced to retreat when the room resounded with knocks, the woman stirred from her almost-sleep, and dragged her feet to the door. After watching her interaction with Walter, he watched her pick and pull at the meal and eat very little, he felt frustration at seeing this woman who had potential to mentor Seras, falling into the same habit as his fledgling. Victoria had chosen not to feed her body therefore becoming weak and losing energy, much like Seras avoiding blood. His disappointment and frustration came to a boiling point and he forced himself to leave, "how disappointing" he murmured.


	8. Chapter 8 - In her own way

Sorry for the irregular updates, im trying to get a chapter posted every Monday but school is my first priority, meaning I don't always get time to work on a chapter.

this is my first fic, ever, so if there's anything I need to change/improve/get rid of please let me know. Anything positive or negative you feel like sharing please review or PM me, I know this story is far from perfect and thats why id appreciate people telling me if im messing up somewhere.

((also major apology if Alucard is too OOC))

thanks for viewing/reading, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Victoria thrashed and struggled throughout the night trying to get comfortable, as much as she tried the woman couldn't stay asleep for long. At one point she awoke during the night heaving and huffing awaking from a nightmare, flipping over she turned her phone on to see if she had the chance to return to sleep, 5:30 showed on the screen, 'guess not' she thought. Victoria couldn't help the frustration inside of her, her body ached for rest and her eyes burned with tiredness, but her mind resisted sleep. She silently cursed Walter, 'this is his fault' she thought bitterly, 'if he hadn't woken me up I would have slept'. She spent the rest of the night slipping in and out of half hour naps, and to her misfortune Integra demanded an early start.

When the pre-set alarm echoed throughout the room, Victoria's eyes snapped open and she instantly felt irritable. Huffing and cursing under her breath, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat on the edge. Rubbing the sleep out of her still tired eyes, the woman tried to compose and convince herself that tonight would be better. When she removed her cold hands from her face, her eyes focused on a piece of paper sitting on the table across the room. Grunting she dragged her feet across the room and snatched the paper off the surface. "Breakfast will be delivered at 9, Integra will meet you at 10" she read aloud, throwing the paper down she ran across the room to her phone, 8:30 it read. "Shit" she moaned, Victoria had little time to shower and get rid of her irritable mood. Peeling off her clothes on the way to her personal bathroom, the woman slammed the door behind her. She leant towards the shower and twisted the handle on, water shot out of the metal shower-head, and she climbed in, soon after she felt her irritability wash away along with the water.

When she finally emerged from the warmth of the steamy bathroom into the cold bedroom she shivered, the towel covering her body did nothing to warm it and she quickly rushed to the wardrobe. While struggling to pull on her clothes she heard Walter come into the room, she huffed, 'did he even knock?!' She thought impatiently.

"Hello?" He called into the empty room, "Miss Stein?", the butler was inspecting the room looking for her, and Victoria heard him open the bathroom door.

She didn't want the old man unknowingly upon the wardrobe door and see her changing, Victoria didn't want to traumatise the butler. While hopping on one leg trying to pull on her stockings she called from the small room, "yes Walter, I'm getting changed, what is it?".

Walter was silent for several seconds, "ah I apologise." he didn't sound sincere, "I have your breakfast here, I'll leave it on the table" he called.

Victoria became impatient and wished for him to leave, it always unnerved her when people were in the room while she was changing. "Yes, yes, thank-you Walter" she quickly replied. The woman continued changing while she heard the butler move and place dishes on the table, she sighed in relief when she heard the door close.

Emerging from the small room, she saw the new set of dishes replacing the previous dinner ones. Examining the dishes she didn't see anything that particularly stood out, but a growl from her stomach convicted her to eat. Warm pieces of toast with a variety of spreads tempted her, aswell as a variety of teas to be mixed with the provided hot water. The artist made a mug of green tea and took two pieces of plain toast, she sat down in one of the two chairs provided, looking for her sketchbook which she found it under the table, "how the hell did that get there" she asked no-one in particular, picking it up off the ground it was opened to a page containing a painting she did illustrating a recurring nightmare she had. Concluding Walter must have knocked it off the table she shook it off, and pulled her drawing equipment off the floor and onto her lap, sketching as she ate.

XxXEarlierXxX

Alucards frustration with Victoria was inevitably taken out on his fledgling. Seras wasn't off to a good start, and when he found out that earlier she had refused her blood portion, he was much more harsh than usual. The young vampire had been trying to access her advanced senses, but the anxiety and stress had only made her situation worse, she was sacrificing herself at this point and this annoyed Alucard immensely. He could see she was getting in her own way, and although she was genuinely trying to improve, until Seras got past this stress she was putting on herself, she would never reach her full potential.

"Try again police girl" Alucard commanded,

Seras huffed and straightened herself, trying to focus and use her 'third eye', to see, sense, feel and hear everything around her. She closed her sky blue eyes and concentrated as hard as she could, trying to imagine another eye above her own two as she was instructed to do. The vampire saw the frustration and concentration on her face, "now your trying too hard" he commented.

Seras opened her eyes and sighed impatiently "first you said try harder, then you said I try too hard. No wonder I can't get it" she muttered.

Alucard was trying to be patient, however his tolerence was wearing thin. He was fond of saying that many of her problems could be solved if she just drank blood and behaved like a 'proper' vampire. This including the wound on her leg, during their encounter with Anderson, Seras had panicked and would have been killed if Integra hadn't shown up, it was at this time Alucard realised that she couldn't learn alone, she would have to be taught.

Two hours later and dawn was approaching, Seras had made progress, but not as much as she should in a lesson. Alucard was trying to be patient, he could sympathise with the young vampire and vaguely understood what she was going through, but it frustrated him none of the less. After ending the lesson the two departed and went to their separate rooms. Seras both physically and mentally exhausted collapsed onto her bed, Alucard mentioned that once she had her coffin she would get stronger, 'but at what cost' she thought dully, thinking of how much she would miss an actual bed.

As the sun slowly climbed over the horizon, Seras had began to lull into a dreamless sleep. Alucard himself was rather exhausted and longed to retreat to his coffin to rest, however he unexpectedly found himself inquisitive of Victoria's state, curious to see if she had still kept his fledglings habit. Making his way to her room he wondered if her habits of not looking after herself extended to sleeping, with the bags he'd noticed under her eyes the vampire picked her as an insomniac. Once he finally reached the closed door he easily phased through, Alucard was easily able to see her figure in the darkened room. Deciding to examine the scene more closely, the vampire silently strode forward until he stood at the foot of the bed. He removed his glasses and peered down at the sleeping woman, her legs entangled in the sheets and dark hair sprawled everywhere. He chucked at her chosen sleeping position as it resembled something like a cocoon. However Alucards curiosity didn't stop there, he begun to examine her belongs, 'perhaps I can find a weakness' he mused trying to justify what he was planning to do. Walking over to the table he saw an ensemble of items, a large tray of barely touched food covered the most of the table, however next to it was a black book covered in different illustrations and paint smears. The vampire picked up the book and began to flick through it, a majority of the pages contained sketches of people and animals while a few pages where however covered in scribbled black writing. Alucard flicked to the most recent pages and one in particular caught his eye, a coloured sketch of a woman sitting in a dark abyss, crimson eyes of every shape and size covering the walls and focusing on her bare form. The woman while having her back turned, had her head turned sideways to the viewer, he noticed the softly drawn bloody tears cascading down her face and found it's resemblance to Victoria. He stood transfixed looking at the painting, particularly the face, and it briefly brought a sense of guilt to the vampire as he now knew he was the cause for her distress and the reason for her under-eye circles. He didn't realise how long he was standing looking at the piece until he heard sheets shuffling behind him, Victoria was beginning to stir. He held the book and glanced at her form, she was shuffling and writhing around, 'a nightmare' he concluded, Alucard suspected his nightmare was the reason, looking down at the drawing a final time before decideding to stay out of her dreams for now. Placing the book down the vampire phased out of the room and into his own, he then returned to his beloved coffin where he longed for the rest it would provide.

XxXPresent timeXxX

Victoria finished her toast and wiped her crumb covered hands on her stockings before sculling the rest of the now cold tea. Glancing at her phone she saw the time, five minutes until she had to meet Integra, "ah shit" she moaned, jumping up quickly the artist grabbed her basic materials and raced out the room slamming the door behind her. While rushing down the corridors she strained her memory to try and recall where the drawing room was located. Victoria's sleeping pattern had gone out the window and she often found herself tired and drained of energy, not to mention she now found herself struggling to function cognitively, especially memory wise. After opening various doors and going down the wrong corridors, she finally found the recognisable wooden door and quietly pushed it open hoping Integra was more late than her. Creeping quietly into the room and shutting the door behind her, she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice address her.

"Your late" Integra dead panned. She was sitting in her position already, and looked impatient.

"Erm" Victoria hesitated, "I got lost, sorry" she said softly, embarrassed.

"Don't let it happen again" Integra said sternly, seeing Victoria nod in understanding and gratitude she continued "now, I have a meeting at two, so I'd like to be done by then"

Victoria strode over towards the canvas humming thoughtfully, she inspected the paint and found much of it still wet. "Hmm, it's going to be close but I think I can do it" she replied. "I'm going to need a picture of you sitting this way though" she called,

"Already done, I will bring it in later" she replied.

"All good then" she whispered, still inspecting the canvas. The artist had done many layers already, and although they had dried successfully, the few layers she'd done with the oil paint mixed with linseed oil had barely dried at all. Victoria was growing concerned that the painting and layers wouldn't dry in time. As nice as it was here, she needed to return home and attend to her growing pile of bills, she also had an important university lecture on Wednesday she had to attend. The time frame for this painting was something that constantly stressed her, and she was pretty sure Integra wanted her gone ASAP. Tying back her long dark hair and rolling up her jumpers sleeves, she began work on the painting once again.

* * *

Linseed oil: a type of oil you mix with oil paint to thicken/smoothen the paint. When mixed with oil paint it makes the paint easier to apply but thicker and longer to dry. Layers done with linseed oil are typically the final layers as the colours are the boldest and the paint takes the longest to dry.

((I get the vibe that I might be focusing on Victora's story and life too much, so im going to try and lean away from that and maybe go into everyone else's lives abit more. let me know what you think. ))


	9. Chapter 9 - bitter betrayal

sorry for yet another late chapter, ironically I have an art assignment requiring me to complete an oil painting, so I've been working on that (its taking forever, god help me).

not sure when the next update will be (no more than a fortnight hopefully) so heres a long chapter to make up for it

Thank you for everyone who reviewed/messaged me, its helped me decide where I want to go with the story and I appreciate all of your inputs.

Thanks for reading please follow/fav/review

the European language mentioned later in the chapter is Romanian

* * *

Victoria had been painting for what she estimated was around two hours, but she had no other way to tell except for the shadows slowly changing position on the walls. She was covered in paint and estimated her face and hair were no exception. The particular paint Integra provided was taking an exceptionally long time to dry, no matter how much turpentine she added. She growled in frustration and couldn't help throwing materials around the desk, 'how the hell did I think this would only take four days! ill be lucky if this is done in a fortnight' the woman thought. Flicking between brushes and colours she desperately tried to recreate the scene infront of her, but couldn't get past the growing irritability at her perceived failure. Looking for any excuse for a break from the burden she had undertaken, her silent prayers were answered when Victoria felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. wiping her paint covered hands on her shorts that were worn on top of her tights, she pulled out the device. Three long texts took up the lock screen, sighing she looked over at Integra sitting patiently in the chair, "I need to get some air, I'll be back in five" she said quickly rushing out the door before the woman could answer.

Victoria strided down the halls her boots silently connecting with the floor, she remembered seeing a door leading to a balcony near the back of the building. Not long after searching she found a series of large glass doors leading to the outside garden, 'this will do then' she thought. Pushing open the large heavy glass doors she walked out into the large open garden, walking down a brick path the artist saw a wooden bench beside a large pool. Dragging her tired feet to the small bench she sat down with a huff, a cloud of mist forming from her mouth. Burying her face into her scarf, she pulled out her phone deciding now was the best time to take care of the messages. Victoria unlocked her phone and choose to start with the longest ones, Scott had acquired her number some time ago but he never really used it as she would always ignore his messages, after briefly flicking over the message, she could almost feel her eyes roll back into her skull. The message could be summarised as half a 'sincere' apology along with the promise for it not to happen again, and the other half an attempted guilt trip to manipulate the woman into feeling bad for him. She reread the message in detail and snorted, 'idiot thinks I'd feel bad for what I did?' She quietly laughed aloud. 'I'd do it millions times over' she snickered evilly remembering how good it felt, however she was often concerned he might press charges. Ignoring his text she went onto reading the second text, this one was less entertaining as it was from her landlord, it was shorter than she expected and to the point. He explained that he'd been lenient, but had rent himself to pay and needed to make a profit, Victoria was upset at first but realised it was only her own fault. The landlord also explained that he would have no choice to evict her if she didn't pay her three months rent in full within the next fortnight. This wasn't good news and ruined her slightly improved mood, hoping for the last chance to lighten her spirits she switched to the last text. The woman perked up once she saw it was from Alex, skimming over the message she concluded it was a not-so-subtle demand for the artist to visit her at her new job, Victoria snickered, Alex could be so impatient. Victoria replied,

Victoria : I can't I'm on a commission, we agreed when I got back I'd go

She sat back on the bench and watched the grey clouds drift through the sky, it was a dark cold day, and the forecast promised snow later. While admiring the sky she felt her phone buzz.

Alex: :( Vicky y? Pls come, theres a cool parti tomoro night

Alex: plus i got a promotion

Alex: they wont care if u leaf at night, aslong as u come back in the morning

Alex: leave

Victoria: it looks unprofessional to just leave in the middle of a job to go to a club :/

Alex: u have Been ther for lik 2 days they cant force u to stay insid a crusty old manstion

Victoria paused typing her response, Alex was right, they can't hold her here against her will, they can't prevent her from going places. She considered that it might be a good way to blow off steam.

Victoria: Hmmm, alright I'll ask. but no promises

Alex: :D gr8, oh and u can bring someone if u want

Victoria: alright, if you say so

Victoria: oh my breaks almost up, I'll talk to you later

Alex: alright, ttyl, pls come

Victoria: haha I'll try

After the message sent Victoria turned of her phone and put it back into her pocket, 'shit how long was I here for?' She thought before walking back to the mansion.

The woman walked through the door and was met with a cold stare, "sorry sir, I had an urgent message" she apologised.

The knight muttered something and extinguished the cigar she was currently smoking, "how much longer" she asked, "I have a meeting in an hour" she reminded sternly.

Victoria picked up a brush and tapped the end of it on her chin thoughtfully, "really soon, quarter of an hour maybe" she reassured. Looking over at the blonde, Victoria hoped she wouldn't be irritated at her answer. Instead Integra looked tired and deflated, Victoria felt bad for Integra, she had been so patient and probably regretted her decision to have the painting made. Victoria decided she would try her hardest to finish the painting as soon as possible and to the highest quality.

Integra did something that caught Victoria by surprise, she made conversation. Maybe it was the overwhelming boredom or the prying nature of the woman, but the knight felt justified in her curiosity. Victoria almost dropped her brush in surprise when she was unexpectedly addressed,

"Victoria, how long have you been doing this for?" Integra asked coolly,

Victoria hesitated, wondering how long it's actually been, "in terms of painting?" She asked.

The knight nodded silently.

The artist hummed thoughtfully, "well I started in highschool and got rather good, but had to drop it when I went into the military" she said sadly, "afterwards I picked it up again to try and make some extra cash" the woman said quietly.

Integra already knew about Victoria's military past from the background check she always did with new employees, however she needed the woman to tell her herself to avoid suspicion in case it was brought up later accidentally by the Hellsing leader or any of her staff.

Integra nodded thoughtfully before asking a follow up question, "you used to be in the British military?" She asked, "what division?",

Victoria paused painting, "just field medical" she mumbled, "wasn't a solder or anything" she said almost disappointingly.

Integra put on her best surprised expression, "ah, I see" she said softly, "were you any good?" The knight asked.

Victoria was taken aback, was she any good? People died under her care but she also saved countless lives, "hm, yeah I suppose, saved more people than I lost" she joked.

Integra smiled softly, "good enough then" she replied.

The artist hummed a reply before returning to work, figuring the woman was in a good mood she decided to inquire about the party invite.

"Sir?" She addressed Integra

The blonde snapped out of her thoughts and focused on Victoria, "yes Victoria?" She replied,

The artist shuffled her feet and tried to form an argument, "well tomorrow night is my friends party, and she invited me to go out with her" she lied easily.

Integra was silent for several seconds, "mhmm?" She signalled to continue,

Victoria tried to pull out all her arguments to convince her, "well, it's just at night so it's after hours anyway, and I'll be back before morning and I'll still be able to work at my usual rate the next day" she rushed trying to get out all her points before Integra could shush her.

Integra considered her request, there was no way she could say no it's not like Victoria permanently worked for her. "Hm, alright but I have some terms" she said firmly, "it must be in your own time and you must take one of my employees with you" she said finally leaving no room for arguments.

Victoria thought the request of taking someone with her strange, but she had no choice but to accept, "yes of course, thankyou" she answered quickly.

XxX

twenty minutes later and Victoria was satisfied with Integra leaving, all that was left to do was to wait for the layers to dry, which in this hot dry room, wouldn't take long. "Alright Integra, your free" she said putting down her brushes and wiping her hands on a cloth.

The Hellsing leader, stood up slowly and groaned quietly. She silently walked over to Victoria and reached inside her skirt pocket, Victoria watched her carefully suspicious of what she had in there. Integra pulled out a folded A4 sheet of paper and held it out to Victoria, the dark haired woman carefully took the paper from the gloved hand and gave her a puzzled look.

"The picture you requested" Integra supplied, "burn it after your done" she ordered sternly.

Victoria nodded silently, accepting her order. The knight turned away and began to walk towards the door, stalling as she stood in the frame, "I'll come check your progress later" she noted before walking out of sight completely.

Integra began striding down the hall towards her office, where she would meet the provider of their less than legal weapons. She looked at her watch and found there to be no time to change out the uncomfortable clothing chosen for her portrait, huffing the knight hitched up her skirt and rushed towards her office. She had just sat down when there was a knock at the door, flattening her clothing she lit a cigar and tried to compose herself, "enter" she called.

XxX

Victoria huffed and put down the brush she had been holding for what she estimated was hours, flexing her stiffened fingers she cracked her knuckles and relived some of the pain. Checking her phone she saw that in fact it was much longer than she thought, fours hours to be exact, and it was now six thirty in the evening. She pulled out her headphones and began to pack up, she found it unusual Integra hadn't checked on her as she said she would, 'probably wiped out from her meeting' she mused.

XxX

The vampire lay flat in his coffin, a sense of safety and comfort was provided by the close quarters, he lay deathly still, no rise of his chest or twitch in his limbs. However inside his mind he felt more alive then ever, for the first time in decades he was dreaming, a clash of joy and pain had awakened the long dormant memory's inside of his mind. Alucard walked down the many halls in his castle, the long destroyed structure could only be seen through his eyes. He has just become the ruler of Walachia known as Vlad Dracul, back before he became Dracula and was captured by van Hellsing. He had strided into a candlelit room, and slowly walked up to a woman in a floor length crimson dress with hip length hair, she was painting on a large piece of cow skin and humming softly. When she heard the man enter the room she put down her brush and turned gracefully to face him before they met in a loving embrace, he wrapped his muscular battle scarred arms around her small frame and felt her slender arms wrap around his torso. "Where were you, vlad?" She murmured, muffled slightly by the man's chest.

"Katja, I'm so sorry, they were stronger than I thought" he replied pressing her closer to his body.

The dark haired woman pulled away from him and smiled, her red eyes reflecting the candlelight, "I've missed you so much" she muttered, before pulling him closer again in an embrace, "oh!" she murmured, suddenly tearing away from him in excitement before dragging him to the cow skin in the centre of the room, "I just finished it in time", she presented the painting and beamed. Vlad chuckled softly at her energy and excitement, infront of him was a large image of his castle, the sky was dark and the surface was incredibly detailed, there were also two figures standing together infront of the entrance, him and the dark haired women. She softly walked up to him admiring the painting, "do you like it?" She asked nervously.

Before she knew it she was again squeezing into and even tighter embrace, 'how long was I away' he thought sadly remembering it as a blank canvas when he left. Breaking apart he looked into her eyes lovingly, "it's perfect I love it, I'll have it hung in the dining hall". She squealed excitedly and Vlad smiled softly at her reaction, "how did you become so talented my dear" he asked curiously.

she smiled widely showing her elongated canines, "I've had centuries to practice, but you already know that" she giggled childishly. Indeed he did know of her nature, but she seemed harmless, once he saw her he had to have her.

Picking her up gracefully he placed her on the bed, "I missed you Katja" he said softly brushing a strand hair behind her ear, before pressing his lips on hers in a gentle kiss.

"Burn the monster" one man yelled. "Kill the bitch" another screeched. Katja backed against the castle wall, blood dripping down her chin, while crimson tears simultaneously fell from her illuminated red eyes. Vlad had ordered her not to feed while he was away in fear of her getting caught, she couldn't resist and now a male slave lay at her feet dead.

"Please it's not what it seems" she pleaded,

"Shut your mouth, devils harlot!" The boldest of the crowd yelled, he was Vlad's right hand man and most trusted advisor, Katja had known and trusted him for years.

"Please, Vlad can clear my name, wait for his return!" She yelled back.

The man considered her request, but found it too dangerous to let the monster free, "burn her, we can't let it free" he announced.

Katja smiled sadistically under her curtain of hair, "so be it" she whispered. A man wrapped a calloused hand around her forearm and she quickly swung around and latched onto his neck with her sharpened teeth, jerking her head she began tearing through the flesh and ripping into his jugular. He immediately released his grip and fell to the floor holding the gash in his neck, spitting out the chunk of flesh Katja brought her bare foot down on his now weeping head slowly increasing the pressure until his skull cracked like an egg, brain matter and skull fragments covered the floor. A screech could be heard from across the room as a man begun to ran full pelt in her direction with a dinner knife. Katja chuckled darkly, "aw did you know this filthy roach" she called condescendingly, the man simply screeched and continued to run forward eventually standing at only a pace away from the woman. She cackled loudly and felt her already long nails extend to claws, "try me bastard" she whispered narrowing her crimson eyes. He charged forward with grit teeth and the knife held infront of him screaming, "as if that'll help you worm" she barked, easily dodging his weak attack. His eyes widened as he realised that the woman was now behind him, claws pressing into his throat,

"bitch" he whispered

she chuckled darkly, "you know it". The vampire then tore her claws across his throat is a single resist-less movement, tearing it to ribbons in mere seconds. Falling to the ground the man tried say something but only let out a bloody gargle, Katja put a bloody foot on his chest and laughed manically, licking her claws clean sadistically. She raised her head and announced to the crowd her willingness to kill every single member of this castle and dared anyone to challenge her, men and woman fell to their knees and begged forgiveness others prayed to god to strike her down. She cackled mercilessly and began striding towards the receding crowd, "WHOS NEXT?" She screemed, cackling like a mad woman.

"KATJA!" a voice called,

She whipped around snarling and bearing her fangs, but stopped when she saw who it was. Vlad stood in the doorway, shocked at seeing his normally calm collected bride, snarling, spitting and threatening servents with painful deaths. He was conflicted at what he was supposed to do, he was not yet a vampire as she hadn't changed him as promised, there was no way he could take her head on. He looked sadly into her eyes, he'd kept her secret so long, but today she had snapped for the first time and it evaded him why. "Katja, I need you to come here" he said sweetly, his fingertips running across the hidden silver dagger on his belt. ' I have no choice, it's for the good of my people' he thought. 'I'll be disgraced if they knew I married a monster'.

"Oh Vlad I'm so sorry" she had returned to normal and went running into his embrace, weeping softly, he held her tight and nuzzled into her vanilla scented hair.

"It's not your fault my love, I forgive you" he said sadly, knowing what he had to do.

"You do?" She sniffled looking up at him with crimson tears running down her cheeks,

"yes, but my people won't, I'm a leader now my love, surely you understand, hopefully god may forgive you so you do not go to hell" he said quietly petting her hair softly while trying to hold back tears.

She smiled before understanding what he said "wait what did you sa-" she didn't finish as a sharp pain ran through her chest. Looking down she saw the tip of a silver dagger poking through the front of her dress surrounded by a growing pool of crimson. Looking up at him frowning sadly, "I thought you loved me?" She said softly tears cascading down her cheeks, she slowly fell to the floor "you bastard...I loved you" she choked before closing her eyes for the last time.

He awoke, a gasp of air filling his useless lungs, a wet substance rolled down his cheek, slowly reaching up to his face he touched the substance with his ungloved hands. Rubbing the liquid between his fingertips in the pitch black his night vision could see it was red, and he could smell the familiar coppery scent 'Crying?' he thought, he had awoken to the feelings of sadness he experienced that day. Climbing out of his coffin ungracefully, he wiped the substance off his pale cheeks. He often thought of Katja, and how no matter how many brides he'd had, none he loved as much as her, although at the time he never appreciated her as much as he should of. Alucard had since always remembered her face as being covered in tears and showing an expression of betrayal, over the years it always stung slightly whenever he remembered her but the regret he felt never vampire now realised why he detested Victoria so much, she reminded him of Katja, and because of her these repressed memories now rose to the surface.

XxX

Victoria had just put the last brush in the turpentine, when she was struck with a blinding headache. Holding onto the table as she felt her legs give way and she slid onto the floor, the face of a snarling woman flashed through her mind, and she pressed her hands to her forehead, she felt pressure building and felt like her head was going to explode. Her vision went black and she saw the same woman laughing and giggling, she was saying something in a European language. A new scene appeared and Victoria almost screamed in pain, gritting her teeth she struggled to stay conscious, the woman's red eyes were staring at her intensely and red tears leaked from them, she spoke again the same language as before and it sounded like she was begging. Victoria reached out to help her when her vision cut completely.

* * *

explanation

He remembered Katja, a vampire mistress from the time when he was known as Vlad the impaler and ruler of wallachia, he was human at the time but knew about her being a vampire. He loved her and regretfully sacrificed her to maintain his leadership. He killed her to keep his rep (and life) and in those days associating with demons was the worst thing you could do.


	10. Chapter 10 - A regretfully taught lesson

A/N

a couple of things

first i'd like to thank everyone who followed/faved/viewed/reviewed ect bc it motivates me to keep writing

i forgot to clarify but Victoria was in the Royal Army Medical Corps "a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace" (taken from wikipedia) they don't use weapons except for self defense.

final thing: Alucard may be abit OOC

thanks for reading, enjoy

* * *

"...Victoria", it's a whisper

'Someones calling me' she thought, the monotone words echoing in her mind.

"Victoria!", it's a woman's voice

'I can't see' she tried to open her eyes, no success. 'Where am I' she tried to ask but the words stayed internal. The woman felt a pounding in her head mimicking a heartbeat.

"VICTORIA!"...

"Don't yell, I'm here", she whispered her horse voice finally working, and eyes complying shortly after, slowly fluttering open they were met with sky blue ones.

Seras' eyebrows were knitted together with concern and she knelt next to Victorias previously paralysed body, "Are you okay" she asked frantically, "can you move? What happened? How long have you been here" she blurted out at once

Victoria groaned trying to process the incoming information, "what is this 21 questions" she mumbled. The woman slowly sat up and turned to Seras, "what are you doing here?" She asked.

The blonde still had concern on her face, "oh, I live here" she quipped,

the artist laughed dryly, "that's not what I meant" she said softly.

Seras nodded understandingly, "Integra sent me to check on you, Walter said you hadn't returned to your room yet" she said softly, still checking over the artist for damage, "your dinners ready by the way" she said absently.

Victoria inclined her head slightly, 'wouldn't have thought they'd notice' she mused. She turned her attention towards Seras who still had a grim expression adorning her face, "Seras yeah?" She asked before the fledgling nodded silently, the artist put on her best sincere expression, "I'm ok, okay?" she said assertively.

Seras held a doubting stare, Victoria stood up and offered her hand to help the woman up, "really" she affirmed. However as soon as she stood up she felt her head pounding again and her chest growing tight, clenching her fist she gave a reassuring smile to Seras who continued to stare.

Seras eyes widened "you shouldn't get up so quickly" she squeaked,

Victoria huffed at her statement, "Seras..." she began warningly,

the blonde sighed and took her outstretched hand being pulled to her feet, 'wow she's strong' the woman thought.

'God she's light' Victoria thought as she pulled her up with ease.

XxX

After much resistance both physically and verbally, Seras had convinced her to go to the mansion hospital. Victoria was being dragged by the blonde towards a large room, "Seras seriously, I'm fine" she groaned.

"Well too bad, your going" she huffed continuing to pull the woman along with her until they finally arrived at the door. She whacked on the door hurriedly and tapped her foot impatiently waiting for an answer, after several minutes a disheavled balding man in a labcoat opened the door and glared at both woman.

"Seras can't the bandage change wait until the morning, for god sake do you know the time?" He growled,

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "it's for her" she said pointing to Victoria, "and let us in or I'll tell Integra your sleeping in patient beds again" she huffed.

The man sighed and opened the door for the two women, grumbling he walked over to an examination table he motioned for Victoria to sit down. He pulled on latex gloves and walked over to Victoria sitting on the table, her legs swinging over the edge childishly, "now" he smiled, "I need you to remove your shirt". She looked up at him quizzically before complying, it'd been ages since she'd seen a doctor and wasn't sure of the clinical methods nowadays. As she undid the first button Seras rushed to her quickly pulling her hands away from her shirt and placing them on her lap, "he's joking Victoria" she deadpanned.

"Oooh" Victoria realized, it didn't bother her much as it usually would, 'maybe something is wrong' she thought absently.

After talking with the doctor, finding out what happened from Seras, and alot of unnecessary poking and prodding, it was concluded that she'd been out for three hours, and there was no apparent causes as to why, and there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again.

Seras addressed her, "what happened when you blacked out?" She asked softly,

The woman hesitated, trying to remember what happened, "well before I blacked out, I saw a woman smiling and then crying. After that I passed out, and it was just a dreamless nights sleep I guess" she concluded.

"Anything else?" The fledgling asked, trying to find out if her suspicion was correct,

"She was talking in a European language, Russian or German maybe, her eyes were red and her hair was my color maybe" she said lowly, fiddling with a strand of her long dark hair. "And she had red tears or something?" She said confused.

The blondes eyes widened, Seras' remembered her master talking about things like this, but it was rare, 'I need to speak to master about this later' she thought concerned.

Meanwhile Victoria was deep in thought, 'why is she being so nice to me? She barely knows me',

The fledgling turned to the doctor who was cleaning his nails with a toothpick from a half eaten sandwich on the bench, "disgusting" she murmured.

He turned from his activity, "you say something sweetie?" He said condescendingly,

Her eyes narrowed "No, give her something for her headache" she demanded.

"Wait what" Victoria snapped out of her daze, "how did you..?" She whispered,

Seras's blue eyes locked with hers, she giggled before answering her, "see?, you weren't okay then" she said smartly.

Victoria climbed off the table and stood infront of her shorter form, "impressive, I can see why Integra speaks fondly of you" she laughed

Seras laughed along with her before understanding what she said, "wait wha-"

The artist snickered, "you seem really nice ya'know, we should hangout sometime yeah?" She mentioned causally while adjusting her disheveled clothing.

Seras was caught off guard by her comment, she felt her face redden and she shuffled her feet nervously. The woman smiled slightly, "I'd like that".

XxX

After Seras escorted the artist back to her room she rushed off to meet her master, hoping that he was in a good mood, so as he wouldn't ruin hers. Descending down the stone stairs to the basement levels, she hurried past her room to the end of the hall where Alucards room was. Before knocking on the solid metal door, the fledgling took several unnecessary calming breaths, although she had no need for oxygen her human habits stayed with her. She tried her best to compose herself and calm herself down, she was more than aware of her new masters ability to sense fear and prey upon it.

Knocking on the metal door the woman heard the sound resound within the room, it was several seconds before there was a reply, although not audible. "Enter" a voice resounded within her mind, she jumped still unaccustomed to the telepathy Alucard was fond of.

The blonde slowly pushed open the door and slid inside the room shutting the door behind her, seeing the vampire sitting in his throne she felt her nerves rattle. She shuffled over to where he sat and stood infront of his form her head lowered submissively, "um master, remember what you said the other day?" She asked nervously, her voice rattling.

"I said many things police girl" he growled lowly, eyeing Seras predatorily. The vampire was In a horrible mood ever since he awoke from his dream.

Seras' voice hitched in her throat 'guess he's not in a good mood' she thought, "I meant about vampires reincarnating or something..." She trailed off,

Alucard sighed loudly "You should listen more carefully, I hate repeating myself" he said irritably.

XxXYesterday eveningXxX

"Police girl, do you know what happens to powerful vampires?" Alucard asked,

Seras froze, "um, they kill heaps of things?" she said unsure,

Alucard made a sound resembling agreement, "I meant after they die" he clarified.

She shook her head, "they bleed loads?"

"Your not even trying now" he hissed. Composing himself he continued, "a highly powerful vampire has the chance to return when they are reincarnated within a human body, if that human was to be turned into a vampire, the reincarnated spirit within them would return to full power" he explained patiently.

The blondes jaw dropped in disbelief, she had a million questions, "seriously? Would that happen to you, or me? Do they get their memories back after they return? Do they-" she stopped as Alucard cut her off with a hush.

"It will most likely happen to me, although I have no plans to die" he chuckled darkly, "once you awaken as a true Nosferatu, the opportunity will arise". He decided to answer her second question, "yes, their memories or most of them will return".

Seras shifted uncomfortably, "um, why are you telling me this?" She asked nervously. Most of their lessons consisted of her failing at apparently a simple vampire skills and being scolded, a physiology lesion was unusual.

Alucard considered this, as he was just as unsure as her. "Because it might motivate you to awaken your potential" he said impatiently, although he couldn't lie in saying he had other motives.

Seras hung her head in shame, "yes master" she said dully, before perking up with another question, "oh, how do you know that someone's a reincarnate vampire", she asked.

A valid question Alucard thought, deciding to humor her he replied "the human will experience flashbacks of the vampires memories once they come into contact with someone from the past" he said finally.

Seras noted his comment "got it" she said excitedly, this topic interested her immensely.

XxXPresentXxX

Alucard had begun thinking about her ever since Victoria came to the mansion, the artist reminded him of Katja so much it was unbearable. He regretted telling Seras of a vampires potential to rencarnate, and it was in a single sentence it came back to haunt him.

Seras tugged in the corner of her skirt nervously, "sorry master, but the Victoria woman, was talking about seeing a woman in flashback, she was also a vampire, red eyes and everything" she exclaimed excited. She waited several seconds for Alucard to respond, but there was nothing he was dead silent, "master? Did you hea..." She was cut off abruptly,

"What did she look like" he whispered,

Seras hesitated, the aura Alucard emitted changed immediately, "well she said that she had red eyes, dark hair like hers and was crying" she listed off repeating what she was told.

"What else!?" he growled,

The fledgling flinched at his tone, "uh Victoria said she was European or something... not British though" she added.

Alucard's eyes widened, 'no it couldn't be, the chances are impossible.' "Police girl, we're done here, lessons continue tomorrow" he said finally.

"Uh, alright" she said confused, "see you tomorrow then" she said slightly hurt that her master would blow her off like that.

Alucard paid no attention and barely noticed her leaving. It was only after she died and he absorbed her memory was he able to see what really happened that day, and how she was justified in her actions, he could apologise. He never understood his attraction to Victoria from the first day, and how he unintentionally found any means justifiable to tolerate her, even if it meant comparing her to a mentor for Seras. The vampire now understood so much but at the same time almost nothing at all. 'She needs to be turned, I can finally tell her' he stood up and made his way towards Victoria's room.'

XxX

Victoria lay asleep in her bed, a variety of pencils and erasers littered the covers around her form, she had fallen asleep while drawing again. Alucard silently entered the room, and strode over to the bed once again, he observed her sleeping form but in a new light.

He had a memory of back when Katja was still alive, she was asleep in their bed, the lit fireplace illuminating the room and her form, he remembered climbing into the same bed and wrapping his warm body around her cold undead one, at that he felt a pang of heartache. The memory faded from his mind and he was pulled back into reality, while Victoria's form resembled Katja's they wern't the same, he stood in a cold room rather than the warm cozy one in his memory. And if he was to climb into bed next to her she would surely scream and cause a scene, and that wouldn't go well with Integra.

The vampire strode closer to the bed and sat on it's edge careful not to disturb the sleeping figure, he gazed at her face and saw how peaceful she looked when she wasn't yelling or glaring at him. Victorias dark hair was sprawled around her figure and her pink lips were slightly parted and he could hear the slow light breaths escaping from them. He glanced over at the tray containing her dinner, not much of it had been touched, he felt a twitch of frustration 'stupid wom-' he cut off his thought, remembering who he was referring to. As his eyes traveled around the covers the vampire spotted an overturned sketchbook sitting loosely in Victoria's hand, with little effort he pulled it free and peered at the page it was open to, a rough sketch of Katja, she was smiling and all her features were surprisingly accurate from what little he could remember, it looked to be completed and had been signed. 'She drew this from a vision' he thought impressively. Looking over at her form he longed to be with her again, or rather Katja. Alucard tore out the page from the book and put it inside his coat.

He left the room glancing over at Victoria still fast asleep, "Katja I'll see you again".

* * *

not entirely happy how this chapter came out, next one will be better.

also sorry for all the gaping plot holes in the story, and the change.


	11. Chapter 11 - Red with rage

_I'd like to thank everyone for being super patient with all the changing, grammer/spelling and other general issues. As I've said before it's my first fic ever, and I can't say I haven't had issues. I think I'm slowly improving and I've learnt a lot from other people and myself. So again, thanks heaps to everyone for reading._

_ random guest: hope the general fuckery in this chapter between Victoria and Alucard suffices_

_ curroption: yeah i see where your coming from and i agree completely. there will be much more action before I potentially pair Victoria up, right now the story is focusing on her just beginning to fit into the organisation, but the next few chapters is when the action will start and the main plot will begin. _

_thanks for reading, please review _

* * *

"What the fuck" Victoria groaned at being awoken,

A blonde woman was leaning only inches from her face, her sky blue eyes locked with Victoria's tired ones, "oh thank god your alright" Seras beamed.

"Seras what are you doing in here?" Victoria asked tiredly, slowly sitting up and propping herself on the pillows.

"Mas-" she stopped herself awkwardly, "Alucard said that you might have a con-" she stopped again, unsure of the word, "cuncoshion?"

The artist snickered, "concussion?" She supplied

"Ah yes that" she smiled embarrassed, "well apparently you can't fall asleep after one, or you'll die!" She said frantically.

"I didn't hit my head" Victoria said morosely, "I'm okay Seras" she reassured, however the woman didn't looked convinced. The artist grabbed her by the shoulders firmly making eye contact, "I'm okay, please stop worrying, I'm not your problem" she said firmly before letting go. Seras was silent and Victoria spoke up in a kinder tone, "alright?" She said softly

The blonde looked up from the floor, "alright" she muttered. She soon changed her attitude to an even more awkward one, "Victoria...are we are friends?" She asked staring at her feet. Seras had never had many or close friends, ever since leaving the orphanage to join the police force she'd been on her own.

Victoria hummed, unsure of her answer, "well I'd like to be" she replied thoughtfully, "it seems like I'm going to be here for longer than I thought with this painting" she sighed.

Seras couldn't hide the grin on her face, "oh that's fantastic!" She said ecstatically,

Victoria raised an eyebrow at her and Seras shook her head nervously, "uh not the part about you bring stuck here" she clarified, "that we're friends, it'd be great to have one around here" she rambled.

Victoria knowingly nodded her head, after all there didn't seem to be many 'friendly' people around here. She looked at the clock and her eyeballs almost jumped out of her skull, she only had 15 minutes to haul her damaged ass to the drawing room. She flung the cover off her body and jumped out of bed, flinging several pencils and pens in all directions and startling the poor fledgling.

"Seras I have to run to the drawing room soon, but before I go" she said huffing while stuffing things into a bag, "I'm going to a party at a club later, Sir Integra er recommended that I take someone, you wanna go?" She asked,

The blondes eyes lit up, it'd be ages since she'd been out, "I'd love to!" She squeaked,

Victoria growled while trying to stuff a particularly large book into her already full bag, "great I finish at 6:30, so I'll meet you at the front door" she said huffing, still focused on the activity at hand.

"Yeah see you then" Seras said excitedly

Victoria turned to the blonde, "now, get out I need to change" she smiled sweetly.

XxX

After Seras left she was able to quickly change, throw on makeup and rush out the door with five minutes to spare. While striding down a hall she was focused on her phone trying to view her university schedule, 'shit I have a lecture on Wednesday' she groaned internally. As she was flicking through her emails and walking, the woman came into contact with something hard, "ow fuck" she groaned rubbing her nose,

"Quite the mouth you have there" the man said smartly.

Looking up Victoria groaned, "ugh you again red?"

"Me again, and my names Alucard" he replied.

"I know" she said cooly, "I call you red because I literally go red with rage whenever your around" she growled.

'Why is she so hostile' he thought, however thinking back to his previous actions it was somewhat understandable, 'could be Katja aswell' he concluded.

"Victoria" he begun smoothly, "do you need assistance" he asked genuinely,

The artist snorted and hoisted her bag up further on her shoulder, "hell no, I know what I'm doing" she growled. The vampire chuckled quietly, she sure had Katja's personality.

The woman walked past him and continued down a hall, before she realized it was the wrong hall, sighing she turned back and walked past Alucard again as he begun laughing.

"Not a word red!" She called, still going in the wrong direction. Walking further down the hall to a dead end she screeched. 'Shit I'm going to be late' she panicked.

Walking defeated towards to vampire she stood embarrassed infront of him, "I need directions" she mumbled,

Alucard laughed, "thought you knew what you were doing" he said dryly.

Victoria clicked her tongue impatiently, he was the only person she'd seen since she'd woken up, apart from Seras, meaning he was the only one who could help her. The woman grunted "sorry, I need help please" she mumbled.

Alucard looked down at her with amusement, "what was that?" He asked,

"Sorry, need help" the artist said slightly louder.

The vampire smirked evilly, "my hearing isn't so good" he drawled

"sorry... I. Need. Help.!" She growled loudly through gritted teeth, fists clenched at her side.

He chuckled lowly,finding her amusing, much like a child having a fit he concluded. He saw her dark hair in disarray from stomping around the manor, and considered trying to fix it, but he felt like he was pushing it as it was.

"Follow me" he motioned, she then picked up her bag and hurried after him.

XxX

It wasn't long until they arrived at the correct room, Victoria cracked open the door peeking inside. 'Oh yeah, I'm alone now, why the hell was I rushing? god I'm stupid' she thought walking into the large room. The artist stood infront of the painting analysing her progress,

"Looks good" Alucard muttered

Victoria almost jumped out of her skin, she turned to meet his gaze, "what are you still doing here!" She hissed.

Alucard tisked, "after I go out of my way to help you, this is how you treat me" he said mocking hurt,

She almost felt bad for her attitude, for all she knew the things that happened weren't caused by him at all. "what do you want?" she asked tiredly,

"Unfortunately I am unable to return to sleep" he said dryly. This was due to the fact every time he closed his eyes he had nightmares of Katjas death, therefore he was currently avoiding it as much as possible. "I'm observing" he grunted.

"Oh are you now" Victoria mumbled, turning back to her painting trying to hide the red that appeared on her cheeks. 'No one ever wants to watch me paint' she thought. "Your probably planning to ruin it aren't you" she addressed him.

"Why would I ruin something so lovely?" He said sincerely,

The woman's face redded further, still facing the painting she was very thankful he couldn't see. 'Im such a bitch, why's he being so nice' she thought.

Alucard tried to pry into her mind to see what she was thinking, but was hit with a barrier, concentrating he tried to get anything he could, but could only scrape the first layer. All he could receive was her contemplating why he was being nice, 'I can only read her current thoughts, no emotions or motives' he thought impatiently.

Victoria felt her anger slowly diminish, and without it she would become impossibly shy, 'I'm going to fucking embarrass myself' she thought bitterly.

XxX

Alucard had sat himself down on a chair behind Victoria and she'd been painting for only a half hour when he became bored and decided to ask questions,

"How old are you" he asked

Victoria hesitated, "erm why do you want to know" she said quietly, her back still turned to him.

Alucard crossed his legs into a more comfortable position, "curious" he grunted.

"I'll be twenty one in February" she murmured, still painting.

"mhm" he said acknowledging her answer,

It wasn't long before the vampire asked another question, however this was more genuine curiosity, "Whats the liquid you mix with the paint" he asked.

Victoria once again jumped at his voice, 'he's so quiet I can't even tell he's here'. Her nervous demeanor had returned, "erm, hold on" she lifted the jar to her nose and inhaled, "medium number 2 or 3" she concluded.

Alucard snickered quietly, "why did you smell it" he asked

The artist hesitated, "erm, it's how I tell them all apart" she said quietly while pointing to several large jars filled with a variety of liquids.

The vampire laughed loudly, seeming to find it genuinely funny. Victoria felt her temper return and she placed down the brush she had been using, whipping around she faced him. "You laughing at me jackass?" She growled.

Alucard ceased laughing 'she's feisty isn't she' he thought admiringly, unaware of Victoria's pet hatred of being laughed at. "maybe I am" he said snidely.

Victoria stood infront of him staring down at his face, but unable to make eye contact due to him wearing glasses, she was there for several seconds unsure as what she should do next. 'I can't fight him' she concluded 'he'll murder me' she thought, when the woman suddenly remembered Alex's words. 'Make it look like an accident' she remembered, grinning evilly she turned away from him and went back to her painting, humming happily the grin never leaving her face as she thought of all the possibilities.

Alucard raised an eyebrow obviously confused, "your revenge was to glare at me?" he asked,

Victoria tisked, "no I just don't like petty fighting".

He remained skeptical but he wouldn't lie saying he was disappointed, he still couldn't read her true intentions. Choosing to remain silent he continued to watch her paint, however now she seemed cheerier 'must be over it, she'll realize she needs me' he thought arrogantly.

XxX

Almost four hours later and the vampire was still present, although he hadn't uttered a word since before. He could start to see signs of fatigue in the woman as her movements became more slow and labored, and after a few more hours she looked at the time and begun cleaning up. After Victoria folded up the reference picture and washed her brushes, she was struck with an idea for revenge, and although she wasn't angry anymore he couldn't be allowed to get away with it. Eyeing a nasty three day old mixture in a jar consisting of paint, water, turpentine, tea and several cigar buts, she quickly compiled a plan. Looking down she saw that one of her boots had come undone and there was a stray lace, 'perfect' she thought.

"Hey red, come help me with something real quick" she said sweetly,

Alucard snapped out of his daydreaming state , 'she's finally come around then' he thought enthusiastically, striding over to where she stood he awaited further instruction.

Victoria was trying as hard as she could to not laugh, holding the open jar in one hand she turned around "hey can you hold th-", but she didn't finish her sentence as her foot was caught under the lace lurching her whole body forward, throwing the contents of the jar onto Alucard. It seemed like time completely stopped, Alucard opened his mouth in surprise and stood there still not processing what happened,

Victoria had a smile slowly creeping across her face, "whoops I tripped" she whispered pointing to her shoelace.

He moved his arm and swiped some of the substance off of his white shirt, "that's your payback" he growled still surveying the ruined clothing,

"Payback?~" Victoria sung "oh no it was an accident" she smirked walking out of the room before he his anger reached it's climax and he could respond.

The door shut soon after and the vampire was left standing alone in the room, the liquid still dripping off his clothing and forming a puddle on the floor. He bared his fangs in anger and growled, "well played but I always win", 'seems Katja wants to play, too bad Victoria gets the punishment' he thought evilly.

XxX

The artist stood infront of her mirror, trying to shove a silver earring through one of the many piercing holes she had on her ear. "ow shit" she hissed when the earring finally broke through the other side, however not without bleeding, "ah it'll be fine" she shrugged wiping off a majority of the liquid. Rushing to her suitcase she was thankful when she remembered to pack a dress just in case, pulling on the fabric over her underwear and zipping it up she was surprised it still fitted. The woman padded over to her bed where she pulled on a her high heeled boots over her thigh high stockings, finally before leaving she grabbed her purse and phone. She walked to her and Sera's meeting spot and found she wasn't there, as convenience would have it Walter walked past in a hurry, "oh Walter" the woman addressed him, "have you seen Seras? we were supposed to go out tonight" she asked.

The butler whipped around his face tense and his body more ridged than usual, "no I haven't, try Sir Integra's office" he said hurriedly before rushing off,

"alright thanks" she called out to him as he rushed away, 'weird' she thought. The artist begun walking towards Integra's office, however it was much easier to find due to the yelling emitting from it, walking closer she could make out some of the words.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME AS SOON AS YOU KNEW" a woman's voice yelled, walking closer she could make it out as Integra's, 'this is familiar' she thought. Standing outside of the door Victoria waited until she finished, otherwise she might just be the object of her wrath. She heard a mans voice, Alucard, however she couldn't make out what it said as he always spoke quietly, whatever he said though upset Integra further. The Hellsing leader begun yelling again, "SHE'S A LIABILITY, WHAT IF OUR ENEMIES GOT AHOL-" she stopped mid sentence and there was silence, "WELL WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" she spat, changing her tone she called out to Victoria, "Victoria I know your out there, come inside" she said tiredly.

"ah shit" she groaned, expecting to be yelled at for eves dropping, slowly and nervously opening the door she padded inside, "sorry Sir, I was looking for-" she begun apologizing but cut herself off when she found the woman. "Seras!" she called to the blonde woman again staring at the floor, her head snapped up and she smiled nervously, "where wer-"

Victoria stopped when she was interrupted by a "ahem", Integra was glaring at her.

She shut up immediately and turned to face the knight, "sorry Sir" she apologized,

Integra cleared her throat again, "right, well, i'm aware your going out tonight" she remarked looking at Victoria up and down, making her wish she wore more. "Seras has explained to me you chose her to go yes?" she asked.

"Erm, that's correct Sir" Victoria said playing with her dress nervously,

Integra rubbed her forehead trying to relieve the building headache her vampire gave her, "well Alucard is going" she said bitterly, knowing she was giving into his wishes.

The artist became defensive immediately, "what!? why? he's just going to ruin everything" she huffed "and why can't Seras go?"

"I never said Seras isn't going she still is, Alucard is just going aswell" she explained, "and he's going because I said so and it'll get him out of my hair" she growled. While that was a partial reason, after she'd ordered the vampire to tell her what was going on between Victoria and him, and he'd explained the very high possibility of her being a centuries old powerful vampire reincarnate, and how said vampire could awaken and easily kill hundreds. This was obviously bad for them, as if someone like the Vatican or another organization was to get ahold of her and change her, it would be disastrous for Hellsing, therefore his orders tonight were to see for sure if she really was this 'Katja' or not.

Victoria groaned loudly and showed obvious displeasure at Sir Integras orders, "fine" she groaned.

"fantastic" she said sarcastically, "cars outfront, just give the directions and pickup time" Integra explained absently, "be back by one and don't bring back any extra guests" she said firmly.

Victoria blushed heavily, "wasn't planning to Sir",

the blonde nodded, "good, now get out of my office, all of you" she commanded.


	12. Chapter 12 - Crimson Fairy

ah sorry everyone for the week late update, I was seriously ill for like 4-5 days and was unable to even look at a screen for longer than a few minutes without getting a headache, so that was fun.

thanks for reading, please review!

* * *

The trio walked outside to where the car promised to be and Victoria had gave the driver the address, he informed her that it that it would be atleast an hour long drive. Groaning she went to climb into the back of the car and hoped to sit next to Seras, however nothing ever worked in her favor. Alucard sat in the middle seat and took up most of the space in the car,

"Move over" the artist commanded,

Alucard looked at the woman to see her glaring at him intently, "why?"

'He's going to ruin the entire night' she thought. "so I can sit next to Seras idiot" she huffed

Clearly she was very upset at him coming with them, 'its Integra's orders' Alucard reasoned. However the vampire wasn't going to roll over so easily, "make me move" he challenged,

Victoria tisked, "I don't have time for this we're already going to be late" she whined climbing into the car. Pulling the seatbelt across her body she pushed his awkwardly positioned knee away from hers, 'seems even he's too tall for this car' she thought. "Sorry Seras, maybe on the way back?" She offered, the blonde nodded silently in agreement, disappointed she would have to sit next to her master the whole ride.

A majority of the car ride was filled with silence and Victoria complaining in annoyance whenever Alucards body came near hers. He made little to no effort in controlling where his body went especially especially when the car turned a corner and he smashed the woman's face into the window, not bothering to hide his smirk each time.

XxX

After an hour long excruciatingly boring car ride they all arrived at the club, climbing out of the car they all stretched their aching limbs. Looking up at the red neon sign it read 'crimson fairy', "yeah this is the place" Victoria said aloud. She then turned and addressed Alucard,

"Your not wearing that are you?" She asked,

He looked down at his clothing not understanding what was wrong, "I was, yes" he replied confused.

"I understand your on duty or whatever, but Seras put effort into her appearance, you can too" she dead panned, "this is a pretty high end club believe it or not".

Alucard inclined his head and took off his large crimson hat and coat, putting them in the car and leaving him in his white shirt, slacks and boots. 'she has a point, I can't stand out' he mused. "Better?" The vampire asked.

Victoria turned from her conversation with Seras and inspected his attire, "well it's better, but you should really take off the glasses and gloves" she murmured, "you look like a servant or something".

Alucard chuckled bitterly at the irony, "I'd rather not" he said sternly,

The woman shrugged "suit yourself",

After giving the driver a pickup time of twelve he drove off, leaving the trio on their own.

XxX

Walking into the club they were met with the smell of alcohol, perfume and sweat, of course the scent was much more pungent for the vampires and they both scrunched their faces in disgust. The booming music which filled the club was also increased drastically due to their enhanced hearing.

Seeing Seras's face Victoria frowned, "oh don't worry about it, you'll get used to it" she shouted over the music, grabbing the blonde's hand softly she tugged it lightly, "you have to come meet Alex, you'll love her" she yelled.

"and you'll...oh hold on a sec" Victoria let go of Seras and turned back to see the vampire standing in the entrance, she walked over and pulled him to the side, "red, your in peoples way" she shouted pointing to the influx of people coming into the club. Looking down at her blankly she let go awkwardly, 'He looks annoyed' she thought, the woman begun to walk off when she felt a pang of guilt. Sighing she called to Seras, "be right back", the fledgling nodded patiently.

Walking back to the vampire she noticed he was observing the people dancing, the artist got his attention by poking him in the arm. Alucard snapped out of his trance and was about to growl when he saw who it was, "what?" He asked impatiently.

Victoria sighed, "you don't seem to know what your doing, have you been to a nightclub before?" She shouted,

"You don't need to shout I can hear you fine, and of course I have" he replied. However every nightclub he'd been too had been infested with vampires he had to exterminate, it was never a social event, In truth he had no idea what to do.

"Alright.." she said hesitently, "well the bars over there" pointing in the direction, "and the dance floors through there, and there's like a seating area for eating and shit over there" she said pointing to where each feature was.

Alucard nodded, taking in the information, Victoria nodded back and almost smiled. She lightly punched his arm in a joking matter, "have fun" she laughed walking off.

The vampires watched her and Seras's forms disappear into the sea of people and found himself almost missing her company, awkwardly walking over to the seating area he sat down waiting for the night to pass.

XxX

Victoria had a light grip on Seras's arm and was pulling her through the crowd of people to get to the bar. After much shoving and many lewd comments directed at Seras, they had stumbled onto the bar and found a couple free seats.

Victoria huffed and sat down, "two long islands" she called to the bartender, nodding he slid the two drinks down the bar,

Seras shook her head vigorously and put up her hands defensively, "oh no I can't drink that" she said awkwardly,

Victoria turned from downing her own, "what? Why? Don't you drink alcohol or something?" She asked innocently.

The blonde scratched her cheek nervously, "erm well yes and no it's just.." She struggled to find a good excuse,

the artist finished her drink while listening to her carefully, "Seras if you don't want it, it's okay" she said sweetly, smiling softly.

This made Seras feel incredibly guilty, "it's just one drink..." she trailed, 'I've seen master drink wine before, it should be alright' she mused. The fledgling took a small hesitant sip and was surprised when it tasted good, "it's really good" she beamed.

Victoria nodding agreeingly, "yeah you should try their specialty later" she yelled over the music which had suddenly increased it's volume.

Seras flinched at her voice, "you don't need to yell I can hear you fine" she yelled back,

She huffed, "you too? Everyone seems to have way better hearing than me" Victoria complained, "must be all the club music" she laughed.

XxX

After Seras had finished the remainder of her drink the two women went in search of Alex,

"What does she look like?" Seras asked while looking over the crowd of people,

Victoria laughed, "she's hard to miss, got blue hair and she's probably yelling at someone".

The blonde nodded and continued searching, however it wasn't long before she spotted her, "Victoria she's over by the bathroom" she called to the dark haired woman.

Victoria nodded and motioned for Seras to follow her, the two soon reached Alex however she was too busy typing on her phone to notice.

"Alex" Victoria addressed her,

Still not looking up from her phone the woman grunted, "I'm on break mate"

just then Victoria felt her phone buzz, a text from Alex asking where she was, "You idiot" she laughed,

Alex snapped her phone shut, "tha' 'ell did ye s-" she stopped herself with a squeal and embraced the artist in a tight hug "can't believe I was about ta' beat ya up"

"Sure sure, we both know I'd win" Victoria laughed. "You said there was a party?" She asked,

"Erm well yeah and nah. I knew ye'd come if I said that" Alex said guiltily, and was met with a glare. "Well it's real busy ta'night so it's practically the same",

Victoria punched her in the arm and both begun yelling at each other playfully.

Seras watching the two woman converse couldn't lie saying she was jealous, 'they seem really close' she thought,

"Alex this is Seras, Seras this is Alex" Victoria introduced snapping Seras out of her thoughts,

The woman walked up to Seras and shook her hand roughly, "nice ta' meet ya" she beamed, "Vicky told me ya work at 'er clients place" she piped.

"Erm yeah that's right" the fledgling replied shyly, avoiding the stares from the two woman,

Alex nodded softly, noticing her nervousness, "oi, come on, don't be all shy 'n stuff, let's go get a drink, on me" she announced.

The trio of woman walked back to the bar where after 'gentle' persuasion Alex was able to 'convince' a man to give up his seat for Seras. The bluenette ordered two shots each of vodka for Seras, Victoria and herself. Immediately Alex and Victoria downed theirs simultaneously giggling uncontrollably. Victoria who sat in the middle of the three began conversation with Alex on her new waitressing job,

"Aye tha' pays good, and the hours. Plus I don't get groped as much" Alex laughed loudly, downing another shot.

"Alex shouldn't you be working" Victoria scolded, "look at how busy it is",

"It's just because it's a holiday tommora'" she huffed, "and hold on a sec, watch this". Moments later a man wearing a simaliar uniform walked past, Alex tugged at his sleeve and his attention snapped to her.

"Oh Alex, I didn't see you there" he blushed,

"Aye jake, I need yeata' do me a favour" she said quietly,

Jake perked up blushing furiously, "of course what do you need" he said softly

"I'd like ta' have a good time with my girls tonight, would ya' be a dear 'nd cover my shift fer' me?" She asked in a sultry tone, playing with a lock of his dirty blonde hair.

"Yes of course!" He replied enthusiastically, "maybe we could hang out later?" He asked,

Alex turned away from him "yeah maybe. Table six needs their drinks by tha' way" she commented.

"Oh yes, I'll see you later?" Jake asked hopefully,

"Yeah yeah maybe" Alex replied. Jake nodded and ran off to complete his and now Alex's duties.

As soon as he was out of sight Alex begun laughing hysterically, "I've got 'em wrapped around my little finger",

Victoria hummed thoughtfully, "he seems to like you a lot, are you sure you want to lead him on like that?"

"Well I only use him when I need 'em" the bluenette snickered,

"Hmm well ok" the artist complied, "just be carefull alright" she said seriously.

Alex dismissed her worries, "yeah everything will be fine".

XxX

Quite a few drinks later and Seras begun to notice symptoms of drunkenness in both Victoria and Alex, frankly he was surprised they were still upright with all the alcohol they'd had. Infront of the blonde were several little shot glasses, however she could feel no effects and simply had them for the taste and the sentimentality. The fledgling was now enjoying herself much more now as Victoria's focus was on her, Alex was in a heavy debate with the bartender over weather or not pandas were actually bears.

"Seras", she murmured, "what do you do? Like in Hellsing",

the blonde, hesitated not sure on how much she could say, "uh we deal with criminals and bad guys I guess"

"Like police?" Victoria asked lifting her head from her arms,

Seras giggled, "yeah sure".

Victoria nodded understandingly, "hey Seras?"

"Hey Victoria" she replied, "whats wrong?"

Victoria mumbled something inaudible, "nothing, I was just wondering something" her tone changed to something more serious.

Concerned the blonde moved closer, "what is it?" she asked softly,

The artist placed her head on her arms and stared at the bar, "whats Alucard like to you? And everyone else I guess"

Seras frowned, "that's an odd question" she murmured

"I know, but he's always an asshole to me, I'm one back too I guess. I'm just not used to people not liking me I guess" she confessed.

"Oh Victoria" she said softly. "Don't take it personally, from what I've seen his much meaner to me, and his meant to be my teacher" she complained,

"Really? what did he do?" She murmured

She hesitated thinking of an example not dependent on her being a vampire, "well one time he kept me awake for two whole days trying to get me to learn something, would wake me up whenever I fell asleep" she laughed nervously.

Seras was alarmed when Victoria suddenly stood up outraged, "that jackass, how dare he, I'll kick his ass" she hissed.

the fledgling grabbed her arm gently and pulled her back down onto the seat, "no you won't, he'll kill you" she dead panned. "It's alright I ended up learning it in the end"

Victoria stared at her sternly, "that's no way to learn, learning a skill takes time as well as effort, you can put in all the energy and effort you can, but without time and practice you won't learn a thing" the woman explained.

The fledgling carefully listened to everything she said and nodded in agreement, she had a point, Seras never thought being a vampire was a skill, and there is no way to learn a skill overnight. "I understand what your saying, but mas-" she stopped herself again, 'I really have to break this habit' she thought. "I mean Alucard, will never listen to me, I'm beneath him" she said lowly poking at the ice in her glass absently.

Victoria listened to her intently, "tell ya what, I'll talk to him" she hummed, taking a more serious tone she reassured her, "Seras you are not beneath anyone, and people who think that you are don't deserve your respect because they won't give you theirs".

"Your so smart Victoria" the blonde whined,

Victoria laughed softly, "nah I just speak from experience, and i'm a wise drunk", shes a violent one" she snickered pointing to Alex who had now put the bartender in a headlock. "And about mutual respect, I know what it's like to have someone treat you like shit" she said sadly, looking off into the distance blankly before downing another drink.

This piped Seras's interest, "what happ-", she was cut off when Alex's loud voice addressed them both,

"Come on ladies, let's dance, 'sss been agggeesss" she laughed while pulling the two off the stools. She was laughing uncontrollably and had a red tint on her cheeks, pulling the two to the dance floor the trio of woman were packed in a crowed of sweaty, drunken people.

XxX

The booming club music mixed with several drinks, gave a new life to the woman, they were dancing with two rather attractive men and were smiling and having fun, meanwhile Seras was awkwardly shuffling around trying not to lose the two in the sea of people,

"Seras darlin', whats wrong" Alex called to her,

The fledgling shuffled her feet nervously, tugging at her dark blue dress suddenly feeling very exposed, trying to hide herself from the public. "I erm, can't dance" she called back nervously.

Both Alex and Victoria snickered, "bullshit, everyone can dance if they want to" they said in unison. Both woman pulled Seras into their circle and begun instructing her, it wasn't long before she was off and moving by herself.

"Our little girls all grown up" Victoria cackled wiping away an imaginary tear,

The two went back to dancing and greedily accepted the complementary drinks circling around.

XxX

Glancing at her phone Victoria couldn't read the time, Seras and Victoria were sitting out the front of the club while Alex emptied the contents of her stomach in the ally.

"Hey Seras, read this please" Victoria handed her the phone before staggering over to the bluenette,

"I told ya you 'ad too much, you suck at 'olding your drink" the artist said worryingly, Alex heaved and there was a splattering sound,

"Worth it" she panted,

Victoria tisked "Your 'angover won't make you think that, I'll call mark" pulling out Alex phone from her purse she dialed the number when she heard the waitress protest,

"Nooooo, 'es gonna yell at me" she whined.

Victoria waited for him to pick up, "and so he should" she growled,

Seras had finally figured out how to turn on the phone, "it's eleven forty five" she called.

"Thanks Seras" she called, "marks already on his way" she murmured closing the phone,

The women waited on the sidewalk outside the club, leaning against the wall with their heeled shoes beside them. Fortunately it wasn't long before the familiar silver car pulled up,

"Hey Vicky, got my girlfriend?" He called jokingly from the window,

"Get your own she's mine" the woman called back, "she's already spewed like twice so ya should be good now" she informed walking the woman to the car and helping her lay down on the back seat, placing her shoes and purse beside her, the artist said her goodbyes and watched the car drive away.

"We should go get red, the car will be here annnyy minute now~" the woman sung walking inside.

XxX

Re-entering the crowded club the two women made their way over to the seating area, looking around for the familiar red coat Victoria couldn't see him anywhere.

"Hey he's over here" Seras called while pointing to a group of women,

Victoria glanced at the group and was unsure whether Seras was joking or not, walking over to the group she pushed her way through the group of woman, many of them hissing and and telling her to 'wait her turn'. It was only when she reached the center of the small crowd the artist finally understood the fuss, Alucard sat cross legged at the table, his head resting on his hand and a irritated look on his face. A woman sat uncomfortably close beside him and was painfully, obviously flirting, it seems these woman were all desperately trying to score a date with him.

Victoria shook her head and sighed, "he's not worth it ladies, trust me"

One woman with a hot pink dress and blonde hair whipped around, standing face to face with Victoria and chewing gum obnoxiously loud. "Who are you his girlfriend?" She hissed.

"Hell no, I have some self respect" she said rolling her eyes, 'ah shit I always do this when I drink' her inner monologue reminded.

"The fuck did you say hoe?!" The woman screeched throwing her drink on Victoria's dress,

Trying to calm herself down, she quietly chanted "Don't fight, don't fight, don't fight..."

"That's right bitch. Back off" the blonde smirked and there was a round of giggling thought the crowd.

'Be the bigger person' she reminded. Breathing deeply Victoria tried to walk away, "Nah fuck that" she growled. Whipping around she punched the woman in the nose, not as hard as she usually would and not enough to break it, but enough to take her down.

Squealing the woman fell to the ground and her friends came to comfort her, crying the woman got up and scrambled away and out of sight.

Seras stood frozen, unsure of what to do, 'ugh why didn't I stop her!?' She mentally cursed.

Victoria cursed and wiped her knuckles on her dress, 'I always go for the face' she thought absently. "Move" she growled, the remaining crowd of woman parted immediately, all deathly silent, she then strode to the table where Alucard sat both calmly and highly amused. Despite being so intoxicated she knew how to throw a punch.

"We're leaving" she commanded, the vampire raised an eyebrow confused by her actions, but obeyed none of the less.

On the way out Victoria grabbed a drink of a platter and downed it immediately,

"Hey miss you have to pay fo-" a waiter called

"Put it on Jakes tab" she growled.

XxX

The trio clambered into the car and left the scene immediately, this time Alucard sat on the far end and Victoria sat in the middle. Inspecting her alcohol soaked dress in the car Victoria sighed, Alucard noticed her discomfort and begun opening and searching through compartments.

"Why did you hit her?" Seras asked, the tone of her voice somewhat upset,

"I really liked this dress" Victoria mumbled, "'nd I'm prone ta' fighting when I drink I guess".

"Well you didn't have to hit her that hard!" The fledgling scolded,

"I didn't! I held back!" Victoria yelled. Lowering her head in shame she was disappointed in herself for not controlling her temper, "please don't tell Integra, I'm not always like this, I swear" she murmured avoiding eye contact.

Meanwhile Alucard had found what he was searching for, he opened and handed Victoria a packet of tissues, "thanks red" she mumbled trying to dry her dress.

The vampire inclined his head and relaxed in his seat, trying to recover from the night. This was not how he thought this event would go, most of his night was spent shooing away woman and declining date requests. What little he saw of Victoria she was either arguing or drinking, 'classy' he thought. However one of the main conditions of this night was to find out for sure if she was actually Katja or not, and although he regret going, he had to uphold his end of the deal.

XxX

Stumbling through the door the trio were exhausted, none as much as Victoria who could barely keep herself up as a result of the alcohol and tiredness. They were only a few feet in the door when Seras rushed down the hall, a hand clamped over her mouth, a few seconds later a splattering sound was heard and Walters sigh could be heard from their position.

Victoria tisked, "can't drink that much without gettin' sick"

"Stupid girl" Alucard growled.

The artist whipped around and glared at him, "why are ya so mean to her huh? Your supposed to be her teacher or somethin' apparently, you need patience to be a teacher! And from what I've heard you've had none, she's trying red, give her a chance" she scolded.

The vampire was taken aback, "well she's not learning fast enough" he decided.

Victoria twitched, "It takes time to learn shit, I dunno what she's trying to learn but your methods are stressing her out, she's not like you dude. Be patient and she'll learn easier without pressure" she quietly yelled, trying not to wake the whole house.

"Fine I'll give your method a try" he compromised, tired of talking about this subject,

"Good" Victoria beamed. "Now, help me find my room" she yawned tugging on his sleeve.

Alucard sighed and motioned for her to follow, however he chose the longest way, trying to prolong their time together. They discussed many things and the vampire found himself somewhat keen to continue their conversation in the future, however the chances of Victoria being willing to talk to him while not this drunk and tired were low.

When the two finally reached her room Victoria thanked him and shut the door behind her. the vampire had to make a last ditch effort to gather evidence, pushing open the door he invited himself inside.

"Oi, whattya think ya doin'!?" Victoria quietly shouted, while rolling on the floor attempting to pull off a boot.

Alucard chuckled at how clumsy she'd become, walking over he lifted her onto the bed and propping her against the headboard.

Yawning Victoria whispered something incomprehensible and looked at the man questionably, "what are you doing? I'm really tired" she mumbled,

"That's obvious" he said, sitting down on the side of the bed he begun unlacing the long boots, "it was painful watching you flailing on the floor".

"My body feels tired and stupid" she muttered,

Not looking up from the task the vampire replied, "you shouldn't have drunk so much and yoou seemed able to talk fine before",

"it takes effort" she trailed off, closing her eyes.

Alucard inclined his head but had no idea what she meant, he was then finally able to pull of the boot, "you lace these too tight" he muttered starting on the next one.

The artist shrugged and rubbed her eyes, he glanced at her and decided this was the last opportunity he'd have. "Seras told me you fainted the other day" he said calmly,

"Pfft wouldn't call it fainting" Victoria mumbled.

Alucard ignored her comment and continued, "what happened?",

"I dunno, I had like this day dream or something, and it made my head hurt, and I passed out I guess" she summarized,

He knew he was getting closer to the answer and he had to remain composed, "what was the dream?"

"Just saw a woman, she was crying, her tears were as red as her eyes, she was European" she replied in a trance like state.

The vampires eyes widened, "Katja" he whispered, "what else" he demanded,

"That's it" she whispered.

Alucard nodded and removed the last shoe, tossing it beside the other one. He already knew this information from Seras, but hearing it from the source reassured what he already suspected. Getting up to move he felt a tug on his shirts fabric,

"Your going?" Victoria whined her cheeks reddening further

"Your weren't keen on me being here in the first place" he reminded.

"Right" she whispered. Letting go of the vampires shirt awkwardly she slid under the covers and pulled them upto her nose. "Sorry for being mean all time time" the woman apologized, "I can't always help it".

He turned from walking to the door and faced her, he found it weird seeing her being so calm and genuine. Walking back to the bed he sat down on the edge once more, he stared at her curiously trying to figure out what she was doing.

Victoria was now aware of his stare and buried herself further underneath the covers until only her eyes were visible. Alucard reached out, slowing when he saw her shrinking back, he gently pulled the cover off her face. He took off his glasses, and for the first times she could see his eyes, "Your eyes, they're red" she whispered.

"Your tired, go to sleep" he commanded, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him. Even in deep thought he felt conflicted, 'Ill have Katja, I don't need her'.


	13. Chapter 13 - Hellsing under attack

A/N

A massive thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story despite some of the flaws, late updates, plot holes ect.

Here's the new version of the story, id recommend going back and skimming over it as i've added some bits taken out others ect, but its not super necessary.

Thanks for reading, please review.

* * *

For the first time in several days there was no rain although clouds still hung gloomily in the sky and the manor was unusually silent for a Tuesday afternoon.

"So where's Integra?" Victoria asked casually while painting,

Seras frowned, "she's in a round table conference"

The artist laughed softly, "sounds important, shouldn't you be there too?"

"No" Seras started awkwardly, "if anything it'll be about me" she trailed off. 'They're probably deciding if i'm worth keeping or not' the blonde thought sadly. Before Victoria could respond she quickly changed the subject, "do you remember last night?"

The artist tapped the end of the brush against her forehead in thought, "I remember the club", she looked down at her bruised knuckles, "punching someone and you throwing up" she laughed. An image flashed in her mind, 'and Alucard's red eyes' she thought.

Seras blushed, "yeah... Walter still hasn't forgiven me" ,

"well overall it was a pretty good night" she reminisced,

Seras giggled, "yeah, it was". There was a briefly awkward silence, "so today's your last day?"

Victoria exhaled slowly and put the brush she was holding down, "yeah, I'm pretty much done except for a few touch ups",

The blonde lowered her head disappointingly, "oh".

"Oh Seras, we'll still hangout, I'll give you my number before I go and you can text me whenever you want to" she said reassuringly. "You have a phone don't you?" Victoria asked suspiciously,

The fledgling blushed "Erm well, yes and no". Victoria motioned for her to continue, "well Alucard took it" Seras murmured

"What! Seriously?" Victoria said in disbelief, "I'll get it back don't worry"

"How" she whined, "he never gives anything back".

Victoria held her confidence, "well I'll make him",

Seras was about to say something when the lights flickered and a loud crash was heard down the hall followed by yelling, Alucard's voice echoed in her head "Police girl get down here we're being attacked".

The fledglings head shot up and she pulled her boots back on before rushing to the door,

"Wait where are you going?" Victoria asked, confused at her sudden sense of urgency.

Seras's eyes were wide and she was fumbling with the door knob, "Victoria, stay here until I get you, I'm going to lock the door, if someone knocks don't open" she said sternly,

"Whats going on?" She barked,

"I-I can't tell you right now, just please don't leave" she begged.

The artist shuffled awkwardly, "fine",

The blonde smiled sadly, and quickly slipped though the ajar door before locking it behind her.

As soon as Seras left Victoria rushed to the door and pressed her ear against it, listening for anything that would tell her what was going on. Firstly all the woman heard was yelling, then suddenly gunshots, a lot of them. She froze and her eyes widened, listening for more there was what sounded like a small army of people marching up the stairs and down the halls. "Shit" she cursed, she then ran to the light switch before turning them all off and running to hide behind the couch, waiting for Seras to return.

XxX

"What happened, report" Integra spoke into the phone

"Sir Integra, this is control room one, we're under attack it's an unknown enemy!" The voice over the phone called back. "We're exchanging fire at the front entrance"

Integra grit her teeth, "Hold your position and buy us some time" she commanded, "who are the enemy, I need details!"

"Ghouls" a weak voice sputtered out before the phone line crackled and went silent, closer gunshots could still be heard over the line.

"Dammit" Integra cursed,

everyone at the round table was silent until someone spoke up ,"What does th-" he was cut off when an explosion was heard overhead.

"The helipad is down, this was a well planned attack" Integra remarked. A screaming was projected through the phone before a new voice was heard,

"This thing on?" a male voice asked before clearing his throat, "this message goes out to the round table conference and the queen bitch Hellsing herself. Your ass is being kicked by the Valentine brothers, I'm Jan valentine and I can't wait to meet each one of you. Let me be the first to thank you for providing these tasty snacks. By tomorrow Hellsing will be nothing but a pile of burning shit" Jan announced.

Integra was shaking with rage and snapped her current cigar in half, the round table began complaining immediately and the knight was finding it hard to stay calm. Dialling a new number on the phone, she summoned Walter and Seras.

XxX

Victoria sat behind the couch, occasionally peaking from behind to see if anyone had entered the room. Every once and awhile screams and gunshots could be heard downstairs, and it wasn't long before they were on her level. Crawling along the floor she pressed her ear to the door, but jumped back in surprise when something scratched against it, "Whats that boy? Find something" a mans voice cackled,

Victoria was frozen, unable to move. She heard more people approaching, 'they're all groaning like zombies' she thought. Suddenly the knob on the door twisted violently,

"fuck whoever locked this" he cursed before kicking the door lightly.

Calmly and carefully the artist slunk back to her hiding spot, trying to calm her breathing while simultaneously looking for a weapon.

After several seconds of silence she thought they had moved on and contemplated escaping through the window but froze again when she heard his voice,

"Stupid fucking ghoul, everyone's upstairs" it complained.

'Ghouls? I've heard that before' she recalled,

however now more of the things were heavily scratching on the door trying to enter.

The man tisked "We're on a schedule shitheads, they're better be something good in there", soon after that comment he begun trying to break down the door.

'Shit Seras where are you' Victoria cursed.

XxX

Alucard sat calmly in his throne, aware of the situation above ground, he was not the least bit surprised when a wall broke down in front of him, he knew he was coming. A man in a white suit with pale blonde hair confidently strolled towards the vampire,

"I know your in here, even when your hiding I can feel your presence" the man smirked,

"Why would I hide" a voice spoke from the darkness, "don't mistake my patience for cowerdness" Alucard said boredly.

"Im Luke Valentine, It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm a fan of yours" The older valentine brother complimented. He went on to say how he admired the vampires various feats, and remarked on how vampires were chasing his shadow, leaving Alucard unimpressed to say the least.

"You fool, there's no such thing as an immortal" he scoffed,

Luke agreed, "yes, and once I have your head on a stick, everyone else will know too".

Both vampires pulled out their guns and had each other's instantly planted on the others skull, the shots were at the same time resounded off the stone walls. Laughing lowly, Alucard begun wildly firing shots at the regenerated vampire, each shot missing by mere millimeters. However it wasn't long before bullets started connecting with flesh and while Luke was occasionally hit, it was Alucard who had the most damage. The elder vampire was hunched over, waiting for his damaged flesh to regenerate,

"is this all the great vampire Alucard is capable of" Luke mocked.

Alucard smirked, figuring he was finished with his game the Hellsing vampire released his restrictions, "releasing control art restriction systems three... two...one,"

the Valentine brother paled, "what the hell are you doing"

Alucard ignored him, "approval of situation A recognized. Commencing the Cromwell invocation. Ability restriction lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered silent". Immediately his form begun to change, "now.. ill show you how real vampires do battle" he roared before he advanced on Luke, sending hounds and various familiars after the man. Luke Valentines screams at being torn and devoured alive could be heard throughout the manor.

XxX

It wasn't long before the door was sent flying off it's hinges and hit the wall with a loud crash. 'no way a human can do that' Victoria thought, she was close to hyperventilating as she could hear someone walk into the room, "go upstairs and join the rest" the man commanded to the monsters.

"Shit this is a nice place, too bad we're gonna burn it too the ground" the man cackled, walking around the room he inspected every space occasionally kicking things over. Victoria could hear his foot steps circle around the room, it wasn't long before they stopped all together and her breath hitched in her throat. She slowly peered out from behind the couch and couldn't see the man anywhere, she stood up slowly, however as soon as she turned around she was met face to face with the man. The woman shrieked before she ran for the door but didn't get far before something wrapped around her neck and ripped her to the ground, wheezing from being winded she tried to fight him off.

"seems there's still some fuckers alive down here" Jan cackled,

"Ah shit" the woman hissed, Jan had his hand wrapped firmly around her neck and pinned her to the ground, "ooh and a woman too" he snickered.

"Kinda small chested for my liking, but fuck it, she'll do" he muttered as he begun tearing off her shirt,

"Fuck you piece of shit" she was able to choke out before his hand clamped harder around her neck.

"Don't speak to me that way bitch" he snarled as his fist hit connected with her face,

Ignoring the pain in her lip, she desperately tried to escape his crushing grip. '10 seconds before I pass out' she thought remembering her self defense lesson, seeing her vision darken she flailed her arms around before it connected with a large shard of wood from the broken door. With all her remaining strength she brought it sideways across the mans head as hard as she could, a sicking crunch was heard and blood begun falling from the wound. He snarled and released his grip from around her neck and brought his hands up to his broken skull, "dumb bitch, I'll fucking kill you" he hissed, trying to stand up.

Easily throwing off his body she stumbled to her feet and sprinted out the door, thankful to find none of the monsters around. "I have to check on Seras" she wheezed while running to Integra's office.

Meanwhile Jan was leaning against the door frame, cradling his still healing head, "shit that hurt, fuck her, I'm going after the whore herself" he growled.

XxX

Walking down the long corridor to the conference room, Jan begun taunting the woman, "come out and play Hellsing, I promise it'll be fun" he cackled,

Jan stopped when a figure appeared Infront of him, "huh? Who the hell-" he stopped mid sentence when the cigar he had in his mouth along with the hoard of Ghouls behind him were severed in two.

The man chuckled, "Oh did I miss, guess I'm not as spry as I used to be. My name is Walter Dornez, butler for the Hellsing family and former master vampire hunter" the butler said cooly,

Jan chuckled and snapped his gloved fingers indication for the ghouls to attack. The monsters behind the vampire fired, sending hundreds of bullets flying at the butler, as a result of their poor aim and the butlers wires none came into contact. In the glint of the low light Jan saw the wires wrap around his ghouls and eventually slice them cleanly in two, it was only after they had been dispatched when heavily armed ones showed up.

Seras who had been waiting and watching from afar, waited for Walter's signal to fire several heavy duty armor piercing rounds at the hoard. After it wasn't long before all that remained was blood smeared walls and various body parts coating the surrounding area.

"Oh fuck you" Jan cursed before running at the two with automatic weapons, while Walter had distracted him by pulling out a lip ring, Seras came up from behind and restrained him in a hold. "fuck this bullshit" he spat while struggling against the woman,

"What was your purpose here and who sent you" Walter asked coldly. After several curses directed at him, the butler brought his for down on the vampires hand crushing it,

"Ow shit" he cursed,

"Left ones next" Walter threatened,

"We were just following orders, kill everyone inside, including Hellsings pet vampires." He shrieked,

"What else?" Walter hissed,

"Bring back some bitch to headquarters" Jan laughed manically. Seeing an opportunity for escape he took it, "you don't even know how dead you are" he mocked before breaking free of Seras's grip. Jumping back away from the two, a new army of ghouls created from the Hellsing soldiers approached.

"Time to get this party started" he laughed as the Hellsing ghouls marched blindly forward, the vampire then ran forward and charged into the room containing Integra and the round table conference, all of which had guns pointed at him.

"Shit" he cursed before all the members shot all their ammunition at him causing him to fall against the wall in a bloody heap.

XxX

Victoria ran up the hall luckily finding her path ghoul free however once she was closer to Integra's office she felt her tired legs give out in defeat as a crowd of the monsters stood infront of her 'no, not these' she thought in disbelief. Walter and Seras were on the other side as she could hear both of them fighting, "Seras!" The artist called, there was no response however several of the monsters turned their attention to her. "Fucking hell" she cursed, standing up and preparing to run, again she didn't get far and she felt several horribly discolored arms grab her own and torso pulling her towards the crowd. Fighting and pulling as hard as she could, Victoria found it impossible to beat these beings, but it was only after she felt her flesh being pierced and pressure on her shoulder she understood what they were after, "they're eating me!" She shrieked, kicking away as many hands as she could while the thing gnawed on her shoulder. She could feel it's teeth scrape her bone and blood drip down her side, punching one in the head it was temporarily distracted and she was able to pry her shoulder from the beast. As she was clambering up a new set of teeth bit down on her calf and she again screamed in pain, every move she made only made the ghoul sink it's teeth further into her flesh. This continued for several minutes and she barely noticed when the monsters were torn off her, as she was writhing in pain her vision faded and the last thing she could see Seras looking down at her in shock.

XxX

"She's losing too much blood" Walter called to Seras while holding off ghouls,

The fledgling was staring blankly at her body, "you bastards" she growled. Something inside her snapped, her eyes changed from their normal sky blue to a crimson red and all that mattered was killing every ghoul in the manor. Grabbing a nearby ghouls head she smashed it into the wall, feeling it's weak skull crumble beneath her fingers. Immediately all the remaining ones turned their attention to her and charged, she grabbed a few by the throat and smashed them to the ground with such force their heads detached. One came up from behind and she easily swung her elbow back with enough force for its skull to shatter, she rushed over to the crowd approaching and forced her gloved hand through three of them at once severing them in half. The remaining ghouls she easily darted between the flailing limbs and tore her choice of limbs off, but ultimately incapacitating them.

Integra shot up from her seat and ran over to Seras, "SERAS STOP", the fledgling ignored her and continued dismembering the ghoul. The Knight wrapped her arms around Seras in a last ditch attempt to stop her, "please Seras, stop" she begged. The Fledgling snapped out of her murderous state, shocked at what she'd done.

XxX

Quickly rushing over where Victoria lay Seras was relieved when she saw she was still breathing although more slowly than usual and much more labored. kneeling beside her she pushed the stray hair out of her face and tried to cover her exposed torso with the remains of the shirt. Someone knelt beside her but she couldn't tear her eyes away to see who it was,

"she's still alive" Integra murmured,

Seras tried to blink away tears "her hearts slowing".

Integra nodded slowly, pulling something out of her pocket she placed it next to Seras, "you know what has to be done. She'll become a ghoul otherwise",

looking at the item she understood what she had to do, slowly picking up the weapon she pulled back the hammer and placed the barrel of the gun next to Victoria's temple,

"SERAS" a voice roared from down the hall.

The fledgling jumped and almost pulled the trigger in surprise, "master?" she questioned aloud,

The vampire walked upto her and pulled the gun from her hand roughly, "stupid girl, don't shoot her" he growled.

"what's the meaning of this, do you want even more ghouls!?" Integra hissed

Alucard knelt beside the artist and begun examining the bites, "she's immune to the bite of ghouls".

Integra scowled and silently pulled the gun from his hand, cocked it and sent a round into his chest,

the vampire grunted from the pain, "apologies master, I should have informed you of this earlier" Alucard spat out

Integra stood up leaving Seras and Alucard to tend to Victoria. She begun walking towards Walter and Jan, "damn right you should of, I don't need this extra stress".

XxX

Jan sat against the blood stained wall writing uncomfortably in pain and occasionally hacking up blood,

"your going to tell me who put you upto this, before I put you out of your misery" Walter commanded, Jan only laughed still no willing to communicate. Integra walked over gracefully and walter moved to the side bowing in respect,

"whatup bitch" Jan said snarkily

Integra shot several rounds into the vampire, "there'll be none of that, im pissed of" she barked. A mixture of coughing and laughing came from the vampire but he remained silent,

"who are you people? what did you hope to accomplish here? start talking!" the knight commanded.

Jan only laughed at her questions, "come on, you know the ones that put the fucking chip in me" he groaned standing up, "they can hear everything i'm saying, do you really think they're going to let me stand here all fucked up and dying, about to tell you shit". And on cue he suddenly burst into blue flames, manically laughing he made a final comment before turning to ash, "i'm gonna piss a little wisdom on you, so take this clue and shove it up your ass, beware millennium".

Walter, Seras and Integra stood in silence staring at the pile of ash that was Jan, "that's it? millennium" Integra murmured, she looked over to the still animated remains of the Hellsing ghoul army, "Walter put them out of their misery" she said sadly.

Sir Irons stood infront of Integra and held out a handgun, "belay that order, the responsibility must fall to their leader.

"Sir Irons that's too far" Walter protested,

"this entire situation could have been prevented, your lack of preparation is an offence, its your fault these men died and were reanimated as ghouls" Sir Irons barked. Integra reluctantly took the handgun and knelt next to the first of many soldiers, each shot she fired hurt more than the last.

XxX

Seras and Alucard knelt next to Victoria, the fledgling was panicking unsure on how to stop the bleeding, although it had slowed a small pool of crimson stained the carpet beneath her body.

At the sight of the liquid she felt her stomach growl, "not now" she sighed,

Alucard chuckled darkly, "you were friends weren't you? friends share, i'm sure she wont mind"

the fledgling ignored his comment, "master she's dying, what do I do?" she sniffed.

The vampire sighed, "well she was a medic wasn't she? somewhat ironic that shes out when she could be useful",

Seras clenched her fists and snapped, "your not helping! she could die master! do you want that!?"

Alucard pondered her question, did he want her to die?,"no" he said shortly, "put pressure on the wounds",

the blonde huffed at his answer before obeying, "you can change her can't you? to a vampire, like what you did with me?".

"its not that simple police girl, Katja will take over her body" he murmured,

the fledglings eyes widened, "so she'll forget who we are?"

"No, but Katja's volatile and violent, there's no guarantee she'll let Victoria have control" he explained,

she nodded sadly returning to check on the artists state, "she's still losing blood and her skins going cold".

Integra walked over with Walter, "she's still alive then?" Integra asked,

"barely" Alucard replied.

The knight nodded, "you mentioned that Katja is an ancient powerful vampire",

"good to see you still have a functioning memory" Alucard smirked,

Integra pulled out the gun from her pocket, "careful vampire i'm in no mood".

"yes, she is" he said shortly, annoyed at the whole situation.

Integra rubbed her temples at his attitude, "keep Victoria alive, she could be useful against this millennium" she ordered before turning and walking away.

Alucard removed his glasses and propped Victoria's form in a sitting position before rolling up a sleeve and severing one of his veins with a nail, and pressed it to Victoria's now blue lips.

the blonde watched his every move and caught on to what he was doing, "master you can't change her! Sir Integra said keep her alive, key word being alive" she rambled.

"shut up, i'm not changing her." he barked, "she's a reincarnate, vampire blood should heal her"

"there's alot you should have told us" Seras mumbled under her breath.

After several minutes the vampire pulled his arm away from her lips, "Seras go prepare a bed for her in the medical ward" he ordered,

the fledgling shifted uncomfortably not wanting to leave the woman "but I.." she begun to protest.

"No! do it now" Alucard hissed,

"right" she murmured before running off to the ward.

XxX

After Seras was out of sight Alucard turned his attention back to the woman, he gently wiped away the thin trail of blood that had leaked from her mouth and checked on the various bites around her body. Many had stopped bleeding and a few had begun to scab over slightly, although her skin was still extremely pale and cold, 'like a vampire' he mused, pulling off his coat he laid it over her body to try and retain heat. The vampire wasn't sure if she would survive at this point, he made himself more comfortable on the floor and lifted her wrist to check her pulse, slowly it was returning to normal rate. He turned to survey the surroundings only to see a ghoul, or half of one, dragging its rotten torso down the hall, sighing he pulled out the Jackel and effortlessly killed the ghoul with a single shot,

"loud" Victoria whispered,

Alucard froze at hearing her voice, "Victoria" he said in disbelief. The woman slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit up but was easily pushed back down, "don't move" he commanded. Victoria nodded and layed back down, she turned to look at him blankly and he again felt guilty. "how are you feeling?" he grunted,

she frowned and let out a rattling breath, "I taste blood... everything hurts".

The vampire placed a gloved hand on her cheek, "your warmer now, everything'll will be fine".

She turned her head away from him as she felt tears form, "they were eating me...I should be dead"

Alucard looked into her mind and could feel her physical and mental pain, he tried to reassure her "they're gone now" he said softly,

"...he wasn't human" she murmured. Alucard frowned and gently picked her up with surprisingly no resistance, Victoria pulled the coat more tightly around herself and remained tense in his hold,

he sighed and begun walking slowly as not to cause the woman discomfort, "relax, i'm taking you to the medical ward".

"i'm really tired" the woman yawned,

"sleep then" the vampire deadpanned,

"no, I have questions" she protested.

Alucard readjusted her in his arms to a more comfortable position, "ill be here when you wake up, you can ask me then" he reasoned,

Victoria yawned and rested her head against his chest, "alright, thanks".

XxX

Seras was standing next to Integra as they were attending to the survivors of the attack, when the fledgling saw Alucard walk through the door she called out to him, "oh master ov-"

"quiet police girl" he hissed,

the fledgling looked at the woman in his arms and could see Victoria asleep and wrapped in his coat, "how is she?" she whispered,

"alive, she's healing slowly but faster than a human" he explained irritably. Walking over to a spare bed he carefully placed her down on the bed and pulled the cover over her shivering form, deciding that retrieving his coat was a good reason to visit her later.

"looks like you two are warming up to each other" Integra remarked snidely,

Alucard growled lowly and made his way towards the door, "she has a lot of questions".

Integra cursed under her breath, "dismissed, go help clean up" she ordered,

the vampire cursed and walked out of the room. Seras went over to Victoria's side and examined her state, "i'm sorry I let this happen" she whispered, guilt weighing heavily on her heart. "what do we do now?" she asked Integra,

"from what you've told me Alucards blood should do all the healing, she'll have morphine when she wakes up" Integra explained, "for now, we let her rest".


	14. Chapter 14 - You live here now

whooo two chapters in one week, can someone say procrastination

mostly dialogue, more action next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Victoria awoke with a start, looking around she was unsure weather or not she was actually awake, she tried to remember what happened last, 'we were attacked' she recalled, memories flooding back to her at once, 'ah shit i'm dead aren't I?' she cursed. In the dim light produced by numerous piles of candles on the floor she could barely make out her surroundings. Standing up she could see at the end of the dim corridor there was a small room with a roaring fire. Exhaling slowly she could feel the cold biting into her skin, walking slowly down the corridor she could see portraits hanging on the peeling wallpapered walls, eyes following her movements. As she begun walking closer to the room she could see someone sitting in one of the large leather chairs, 'maybe they'll tell me where I am' she hoped. 'The whole vibe of this place is freaking me out' the woman panicked, it was deathly silent except for the occasional creaking of floorboards underneath her feet and the unsettling scurrying that would run down the hall past her. Finally reaching the end of the corridor, she stood awkwardly behind the chair unsure of what she was supposed to do.

The person stood up from the chair, a woman in a long white dress with a large crimson stain on her torso, both the front and back. "Esti treaz?" She asked,

Victoria backed away uncertainty, "I uh don't know what your saying".

The woman nodded slowly, "I will use this language then" she said softly in a thick Romanian accent.

The artists eyes widened remembering the language and face of the woman, "your from my vision",

She laughed softly, "it was a memory". Victoria remained silent, "sit down" the woman commanded. The pair each took a seat adjacent to each other in front of the fire, which oddly provided no heat, "you have questions" she stated.

"Many" Victoria replied, still cautious of the woman,

She shook her head softly, "they don't tell you anything".

The artist narrowed her eyes, "like what" she growled,

"Calm down, I will explain. I am Katja, I doubt Alucard would have told you of me" she scoffed bitterly.

Victoria softened slightly, "no, he hasn't",

Katja tisked, "stupid man can't admit his mistakes, either that or he's forgotten" she muttered under her breath.

"Who are you, am I dead?" She asked,

"Valid questions. Time is short, so my answers will be too. unfortunately your not dead" she huffed.

Victoria frowned "rude, but continue",

Katja smirked showing long fangs, "I'll start at the beginning, this is a result of him" she hissed pointing a clawed finger to the wound on her stomach.

Victoria shuffled uncomfortably and fiddled with her hands, "Alucard did that?",

"You see, a long time ago he ruled a country, and I was his wife. A wife older than him by years, hundreds of years" she reminisced.

Victoria was unsure what she was implying, ' surely he isn't that old' she thought, remembering the man as looking not much older than her.

"Since they won't tell you, I will" she muttered, "Alucard, or Vlad as I knew him, is now a vampire, he wasn't at the time I was alive, shortly after I died he became one, he is hundreds of years old and is very powerful. When we were married I was a vampire and he was human" she growled lowly. "One night the castle found out what I was, he felt he had no choice but to kill me right there" a red tear fell from her eye, and she quickly wiped it away.

Victoria was tense and she could feel the dry hatred coming off the woman, "vampires? They aren't real",

Katja laughed bitterly, "ask your new best friend, she's one too, Alucard's fledgling".

"Sera's? No way" she said in disbelief,

The woman nodded, "Integra has kept you in the dark on everything, ask questions when you awaken. Tell them you spoke to me".

Victoria nodded slowly, still trying to comprehend everything. "This seems too weird",

Katja ignored her, "you almost died you know, eaten by ghouls is an awful way to go" she smiled darkly.

The artist quickly looked for the wounds on her body but found none, "they're gone",

"Only in here, you'll be writhing in pain when you awake" she remarked casually.

"Awake?" She questioned, "where am I now?",

"Well this is where I've been for the past twenty years, watching you, because of the vampire blood now in your system you have access to this room too", Katja explained smugly.

"Watching me?" the artist paled,

"I was reincarnated in you, I watch you sometimes, your rather violent" she smirked. "I'm stuck here until you die or change".

"Change to what?" Victoria asked nervously,

The woman snickered "A vampire!",

Victoria's eyes widened, "n-no I'd never"

"While YOU'VE been asleep, I've been listening. They're planning to use you in their little fight, you'll need my help eventually" Katja said cynically.

"I don't trust you" Victoria confessed,

Katja clicked her tongue in annoyance, "I'll say this, I have no quarrel with you and I have no intention to hurt a relative-"

Victoria cut in "Wait relative?"

"Yes I had children as a human, my children had children and it goes on, surely you must have guessed where the resemblance came from. Don't cut in" she warned.

The artist lowed her head submissively, "sorry",

"As I was saying, I don't have an issue with you, rather Alucard. If I'd wanted to cause damage already I would have. However I think we can help each other out" she said suggestively, "I'll bring you back here again soon, but for now the door is down the hall, they're getting worried".

Victoria stood up, "thank you Katja"

The vampire nodded, and dismissed the woman. Victoria turned around and begun walking down the darkened hallway until she encountered a large black wooden door, reaching out towards the silver handle she pulled open the door and hesitantly walked through.

XxX

Victoria's fingers tightened around the object they were wrapped in, pain shot through her limbs like fire. Slowly prying open her eyelids she let out a pain-filled groan,

"Master! Master she's waking up!" Seras called to the vampire in the hallway.

The artist finally managed to wake herself up and begun looking around the room, her blurry vision beginning to focus. 'What happened?' She asked herself, moving her shoulder she felt a shooting pain run down her arm and collar bone, 'ghouls, the manor, Katja' she recalled slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Seras asked nervously,

Looking down Victoria could see that Sera's sore red fingers were wrapped around hers, "sorry about that" she apologized in a horse voice before letting go.

"No it's fine, you looked like you were in pain" the blonde murmured, "so, how are you?" She repeated handing the woman a glass of water and a variety of pills.

Moving her sore stiff body everything hurt, she slowly swallowed all the pills and her arm collapsed back by her side. She could feel tears leak from her eyes, "shitty, really shitty" she snifffed.

Seras hung her head in shame, "I'm really sorry, it's my fault" she then grabbed some tissues from her bedside and placed them in the woman's stiff hand.

"Thanks, and i'm sure its not" she breathed, trying to stop the flow of tears, "Seras can I be alone?"

The fledgling had to stop herself from also shedding tears, "yeah, I'll come check on you later".

Victoria nodded, and thanked her before settling down into the sheets and wiping the slow falling tears of her cheeks. Seras walked outside closing the door behind her, Alucard who had been waiting outside the whole time moved past Seras and went to open the door.

"Uh master, she wants to be alone right now" Seras said awkwardly,

Alucard retracted his hand from the door knob, he could her the woman sniffling and crying inside. "Master and I will meet here in an hour, you may join us" he said stiffly before walking away.

XxX

Integra strode upto the door and ripped it open, Victoria immediately turned to look at who entered and frowned slightly. Integra pulled a chair over by the women's bed and sat down uncomfortably, Alucard standing next to her, "how are you feeling?"

Victoria avoided eye contact and stared at the sheets, "fine",

Integra nodded, "I'm here to talk about what happened last night".

"I almost died" she murmured, "Ghouls",

The knights eyes widened, "How did you know?"

Victoria remembered the man that attacked her, "I overheard a man say it",

Integra ignored her, "and what do you know of this man?"

"He was a vampire, he also tried to kill me, but I got away" she said boredly examining the small cuts on her hands.

Integra stood up suddenly, "who told you? Was it him !?" She pointed at Alucard,

Victoria turned to Integra and met her in a blank stare, "Katja, she told me many things".

Alucards eyes widened and the blonde grew nervous, "like what?"

She frowned, "hmm where should I start" lifting up a hand she begun counting things off on her fingers, "Alucards a vampire and he killed Katja, who I'm related too". She pointed a finger to Seras who just entered the room, "she's Alucards fledgling vampire, oh and to top of the crazy cake, I'm Katja reincarnated!" She hissed.

"I don't like your attitude" Integra said stiffly,

Victoria glared at her, "really? Because I don't like my situation!"

Integra bit her tongue, "we were going to tell you",

"Really? Because I had to learn from a murdered vampire living in my head!" She barked.

The knight sighed, "I'm going to tell you everything, so listen, don't talk",

Victoria reluctantly nodded and crossed her arms, "go ahead".

"I am the leader of an organisation called Hellsing, we are dedicated to ridding the earth of vampires, ghouls and anything inbetween. Alucard and Seras are vampires that work for me, there were many soldiers that also worked here but after last nights attack there were only nine survivors, including you and not including Alucard and Seras since they're technically dead." She gestured to the vampires behind her before continuing, "I don't understand the whole reincarnate thing so Alucard will explain. I have several meetings to attend to, I'll check on you later" she said coldly before suddenly standing up and walking out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"You've put her in a bad mood" Alucard complained,

Victoria tisked, "well I'm in a worse mood". The vampire nodded before motioning for Seras to leave the room,

"But master!" The fledgling protested angrily,

"I'll recall everything later, leave us" he hissed. She narrowed her eyes before leaving the room in the same fashion as Integra.

"Now they're both upset" Victoria muttered,

Alucard frowned, "they'll get over it". Sitting down in the chair Integra previously occupied he removed his glasses revealing his crimson eyes. "How are you feeling?" He asked,

"I'm sick of people asking" the woman complained,

"Understandable, but I wish to know" he said sincerely.

Victoria avoided eye contact again, "I'm not that great",

He nodded solemnly "also understandable, you've been through a lot". There was an awkward silence,

"Where's your coat red?" The artist asked.

The vampire chuckled, "your lying in it",

She painfully tried to pull it off herself, "Ah shit sorry",

He stopped her gently "it's cold in here, hold onto it".

"You sure? It'll smell of me, I'll wash it" Victoria said guiltily,

Alucard shook his head, the inky locks of hair swaying gently, "you worry too much". There was more silence, "you had questions?"

Victoria sat up more and took a sip of water from the glass beside her trying to wash the still evident taste of blood from her mouth. "So many, but aren't you supposed to explain reincarnation vampires?"

"We will start with that then. A reincarnate is when a powerful vampire is reincarnated into a human body, they remain dormant until the human becomes a vampire, if the human dies so does the vampire spirit." He explained patiently.

Victoria frowned, "But I'm not a vampire, I talked to Katja in this mind room or something",

The vampire cleared his throat, "As you were dying from blood loss, I fed you some of mine so you would heal".

"ALUCARD!" The woman screeched,

He glared at her, "Well your healed aren't you? Would you rather have died?"

Victoria looked up and met his red eyes, "no, but surely there was another option!"

"If you wanted to join me and Seras as undead then yes" the vampire deadpanned.

The artist looked away, "thanks then I guess, but its gross... Do you have any questions?"

"Of course, don't you have more?" He asked,

Victoria scratched her cheek nervously "well yeah, but I thought we could take turns".

He laughed softly and rested his legs on the end of the bed and lent back in the chair, "what was Katja like?"

"Mean! But...super helpful, and she was so pretty, and graceful, and..." the woman hesitated "...sad, she was sad",

Alucards smiled faded, "what did she say?"

"She told me you were married, when you were human. She told me how she died..." Victoria trailed off. "Red, do you regret what you did?"

The vampire looked away from Victoria and out the window, "everyday".

The artist blushed 'I've made him uncomfortable' she mentally cursed. "Hey don't vampires sleep during the day?"

"I haven't sleep in awhile" he replied absently. "Your reaction to vampires is very unusual" he commented,

She laughed "Are we talking about you, Seras or in general?"

"All of the above" the vampire clarified,

"Well I'm going to have a chat with Seras later about it, and ever since I met you I knew something was up, I'm not that surprised to be honest. And I haven't met many feral vampires, so I don't know what to think" she confessed.

Alucard looked back to her confused, "your not scared?"

"No, your not trying to scare me anymore, plus when you did..." she looked at the man seriously, "I knew that was you by the way" she growled, "it wasn't that scary, you could have tried harder".

He nodded softly acknowledging her scolding, "I've been watching you for awhile",

"Okay... that probably sounded way better in your head" Victoria said awkwardly.

"I was at that Scott man's party, he cried for a long time after you left" he said intently,

The woman was puzzled "why, and I didn't see you?"

"That was the point, and I was bored" he confessed.

"Pretending you haven't been watching me... it's my turn to ask a question" she laughed softly, "what are the perks of be a reincarnate?"

The vampire lent further back in his chair, "immunity to ghoul bites otherwise you wouldn't be alive now, a normal bite from a ghoul would turn a human into one", he elaborated. "Vampire blood heals wounds at triple the normal rate and immense power if you are turned, however there's the chance Katja might take over your body rather than share it".

"That doesn't sound good" Victoria recalled Katja saying how they could help each other out, and figured it was something along these lines.

Victoria turned to look at the vampire "Hey red"

"Mhmm?"

"When can I leave?" She asked playing with the corner of her hospital gown,

The vampire smirked slightly, "hospital wing or Hellsing manor?"

"Both?" The artist asked confused,

Alucard shook his head "Hospital should be soon, Hellsing... You don't".

Victoria's eyes widened "What?"

"Integra will explain later, now you should rest" he stood up and ruffled her hair receiving a growl in response, turning around he walked silently out of the room.

Looking through a curtain of hair the woman cursed as she watched the vampire leave the room, "I need more answers".

XxX

After Alucard left Victoria was left alone to process all the information she was told, 'surprised I haven't had a breakdown yet' she thought. Slowly and painfully she moved her legs to the side of the bed and using her good arm pushed herself up, her vision briefly faded and she felt her head pounding. Slowly she walked to the other end of the hospital ward and stood infront of a floor length mirror. Immediately she noticed a large purple bruise around her neck, pulling down the corner of her white hospital shirt a large portion on her shoulder and upper arm was bandaged. She examined the rest of the bites on her body to find them all bandaged heavily aswell, the dark bruise around her eye stung when she touched it with her cold fingers. She had a cut on her bottom lip and a bruise on her nose, "I'm hideous" she mumbled. There was suddenly a knock on the door, Victoria quickly shuffled back to her bed and pulled the sheets and coat back over herself. She managed to settle down into the sheets before the door burst open and Integra along with her two vampires strode in, "ever heard of knocking" she whispered bitterly.

"Good evening" Integra said curtly,

"And to you" the woman replied, "So whats this about me not leaving?"

Integra sighed and rubbed her aching head, "we have a good reason to believe that people are after you, therefore you will be staying here".

Victoria huffed, "Wait what? For how long? And who's after me and why?"

"You ask too many questions" Alucard commented,

Integra sighed again clearly done with the situation, "you'll be staying here for the foreseeable future, but you'll be working for your stay. Millennium had expressed interest in capturing you, how they found out about your situation we are unsure".

"What if I don't want to live here" she said stubbornly,

"Believe it or not you don't get a choice, and from what I understand your being kicked from your apartment anyway" she reminded coldly. "You will be able to retrieve your things tomorrow".

The artist sighed and buried her face in her hands, "ugh, why me" she complained. Turning side ways she glared at Integra, "you said working? What will I be doing?"

Integra smirked slightly and tilted back in her chair, "you were in the medical corps yes? Therefore you will be working in the medical ward and field medical unit",

"Next question, when can I leave this place?" She gestured to the room around her,

The knight frowned, "whats the rush? You realize once you leave you'll be put to work?"

"Well assuming it's around lunchtime I have a university lecture I have to attend to in a few hours" Victoria explained.

Integra shook her head slowly, "you'll reopen your wounds,and it's too dangerous your a sitting duck in the open",

"Please sir, it's my last lecture before finals, it's very important" she begged, "plus I can practically see them heal, it'll be fine"

Integra sighed and there was a pause, "fine... but take him with you, last thing I need is you getting kidnapped" she grumbled pointing to the vampire behind her.

"Yes sir, I do need a ride to the subway though" Victoria reminded nervously,

The blonde stood up and begun walking towards the door, "yes, yes be ready at four".

XxX

Integra left Alucard and Seras with Victoria and the tension was felt in the air.

"Sooo..." Seras begun, "feeling any better?" She asked hopefully,

Victoria glanced to Seras, "yeah actually, sorry about earlier",

"Oh no, it's fine, you dealt with everything better than me" she gushed.

Victoria laughed softly "I'm screaming internally", both women begun giggling while Alucard stood scowling. The artist looked at the vampire and stopped laughing, "oh red, you uh, don't have to go if you don't want" she reasoned,

"No, it's fine. It's rather boring here.." He trailed off.

Seras giggled and whispered something in Victoria's ear, which enticed a giggling fit from both women, "oh no, I don't think so" she chocked out still laughing.

Alucard glared at both women, "what did she say?" He demanded,

"Oh don't worry it was nothing" she sniggered. "Oh Seras can you show me to my room? I have to wash all this dry blood off my skin and hair".

Seras blushed slightly, "of course" she smiled while helping the woman out of bed, standing up Victoria stretched her limbs and yawned.

"You know with all the blood I lost, I really should have slept longer" she remarked casually,

"It's the blood I gave you" Alucard muttered under his breath.

The artist turned to the blonde and lent on her shoulder for support "Alright let's go Seras", as she shuffled past the still brooding vampire Victoria held out the coat and smiled softly, "thanks red, for everything". The two women the padded out of the room leaving Alucard.

XxX

After a painful shower she spent an hour attempting to cover up her bruised face with makeup and redressing her wounds. Victoria dressed herself in her black jacket and jeans before wrapping a scarf around her neck to conceal the bruise, pulling her bag over her good shoulder and putting her bad one in a sling she walked out the door. 'Its not that bad here, better and cheaper than my apartment' she mused looking around the mansion as she walked, slowly she dragged her booted feet to the main hall where she met Alucard, "hey red" she waved to him. "No hat today" She stated cheerfully,

"Your in pain" he stated, "why are you going?"

The artist frowned, "yeah of course I'm in pain, but school's important to me",

"Why? Your just going to work here for the rest of your life" he stated coldly.

Victoria frowned, "yeah that's true... But I'm almost done, I'm not going to quit now" she sighed. "Come on, let's go" she said gloomily,

"First take this" Alucard ordered placing a pill in her hand,

She stared at it before laughing, "your not trying to drug me are you? Because if you are, it's not supposed to be this direct".

Alucard laughed softly, "no, trust me",

"Yeah because your so trustworthy" she snickered, "it's a painkiller isn't it?" The vampire nodded and she immediately put the pill in her mouth and swallowed it, "let's go" she commanded stomping out the door.

XxX

After being dropped off at the station the artist paid the train fair and the two waited on the platform, "have you been on a train before?"

Alucard sighed, "I'm hundreds of years old what do you think?"

"Ermmm yes?" Victoria replied nervously,

The vampire stared at the tracks, "not a moving one" he said now eyeing the train approaching the platform,

"Ah well it's better than a boat or plane, and the scenery is really nice this time of day" she rambled as the front of the train flew past and eventually slowed to halt. Pressing the door button she motioned for the vampire to follow her onto the crowded train, "erm the ride back will be better" she promised. The two made their way to a pair of seats by the window, "see? Look" she pointed to the end of the tunnel and Alucard boredly looked out the window.

"How long is the ride?" He huffed,

"Erm forty five minutes usually..." She said hesitantly, "if you don't like it you could always jump out and fly" she said sarcastically.

Suddenly the vampire stood up and begun walking towards the door, Victoria quickly rushed up and gently tugged him away from the door he was attempting to open, "no! No no no, I was joking dude!" Victoria scolded. Pulling him back to his seat he sat down in a huff and stared out the window,

Victoria tisked "Whats up?"

"what did Seras say earlier?" he demanded,

Victoria laughed "oh you can't still be bummed about that?"

"Im not" he stated firmly, "I simply want to know",

"well your not gonna, private between girls" the artist snickered.

He turned to glare at the woman, "she has kept this secret from you, don't you hate her for that?"

"well no, I can see why she did it..." Victoria explained, "and I don't really think she's any different after telling me, I don't really care that much, I like her for her". Alucard grunted at her answer and looked back out the window, the artist frowned, "you were so talkative earlier, something wrong?"

"Bored" he lied,

"Well I said you didn't have to come... " she grumbled.

Alucard scowled and glared at her from behind his glasses, "your weak right now, you make an easy target",

"Oh what it's not like you'd give a shit if I got kidnapped anyway" she bit back before putting in headphones and turning to look out the opposite window.

XxX

Victoria silently led the vampire off the train and out of the station, walking up the stairs she felt the skin on her leg wounds stretch and crack but there as no pain, 'guess he was telling the truth' she thought guiltily. "It's a five minute walk from here" she called to the vampire, he grunted and continued to follow her. The pair walked in silence and although the artist was no longer upset, Alucard defiantly was, 'what the hell did I do?' Victoria cursed internally observing the brooding vampire. Not long later the pair arrived at the gates of the institute, she turned around and stared at the man seriously, "now, don't be weird, and don't do anything stupid or vampy" she remided.

Alucard smirked, "oh no, nothing of the sort",

the woman hesitated unsure of what he meant, "well... alright, lets go".

* * *

Esti treaz =your awake? (Romanian)


	15. Chapter 15 - Called out

sorry for the very late update, its art folio season and i'm behind to say the least -_-

also from now on updates will most likely be fortnightly rather than weekly, as writing chapters takes longer than it used to.

**more of a filler sorry :X, next chapter will be right into the story. **

Gabriela: my Spanish is terrible, but from what I understood, thank you!

xxyangxx2006: ikr, she sure is tough! But everyone has their limits, soon enough we'll see her crack

thanks everyone for reviewing, viewing, faving, following ect!

_Ps. not entirely sure how British universities work, i'm kind of basing it off Australia's ones, so very sorry if there are any mistakes/inaccuracy's _

* * *

Walking through the familiar lecture hall doors, Victoria took her usual seat at the back of the room, Alucard followed and took the chair closest to the window. The woman looked around to find she was rather early, many of the usually filled seats were empty and people were chatting in small groups. She was looking around for familiar faces but was unsurprising when she found none,

"Your handling everything rather well" Alucard mentioned casually still staring out the window.

'Whats with him and windows today' she mused. "I'm trying to keep it together" she replied, "I just have to find the positives... like living at Hellsing won't be so bad, the house is nice, don't have to worry about rent, I get to see Seras a lot and now I have a proper job" she listed off. "Although the whole reincarnate thing is taking awhile to get used too..." She trailed off thoughtfully,

Alucard nodded slightly, "are you not concerned Katja will take control of your body?" He asked slyly,

Victoria shook her head softly, " there's nothing she can do, I have no plans to be a vampire" the artist laughed.

Alucard recalled the recent conversation with Integra, "It's not your decision" he muttered under his breath.

Victoria looked up from writing her notes, "huh whatcha say?"

"Nothing" he grunted.

XxX

"And as seen on the video we can tell by looking at the cell samples on the slide..." The lecturer drawled on,

Alucard watched Victoria drawing in the corner of her notebook, "shouldn't you be paying attention" he remarked condescendingly.

"Why? I'm just going to work at Hellsing for the rest of my life anyway.." She trailed off still doodling on the books pages,

The vampire clicked his teeth together in annoyance regretting his earlier words, "you put yourself in danger for this?" He asked irritably looking around the room boredly,

"I wanted to get out of the mansion" she snapped, "believe it or not I'm stressed as shit, and you being a broody ball of condensation and over protectiveness doesn't help!" She whispered angrily.

Alucard stared at her blankly unsure of how to reply, "I'm just following orders" he said coldly,

Victoria tisked and raised her voice "Yeah that's all you ever do-!"

"MISS VICTORIA" the man at the front of the room called, "AM I INTERRUPTING YOUR CONVERSATION!?"

Victoria growled lowly glaring at the man beside her, "red this is your fault!" She hissed.

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR COUPLES COUNSELING!" He yelled pointing at Alucard who was shaking with laughter while Victoria felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. "MISS VICTORIA, WHAT BLOOD DISEASE IS THIS!?" He pointed to the projection showing a deformed bood cell.

Groaning the woman stood up, familiar with the teachers tendency to pick on her, clearing her throat she answered boredly "Sickle cell anaemia, caused by a genetic mutation in the gene that makes hemoglobin... "sir" she added sarcastically.

The teacher slammed his book down on the table angrily, "you have your finals in a week, try to care!"

Victoria nodded and sat back down angrily and she could hear Alucard snickering next to her, "god I hate them" she muttered.

XxX

"This is the second and last lecture, studio arts. Its the reason i'm here, so shut up this lesson" Victoria spoke coldly to Alucard as they walked into the room, and silently took their seats at the back of the room.

Shortly after a short elderly woman strode into the room and dumped a stack of large folios on the desk. "I'm handing back your marked folios, use the comments I've written to help with your exam" she announced. Shortly after people rushed to retrieve their folios, Victoria awkwardly walked upto the teachers desk and shoved the book under her good arm and walked back to her own.

"Thanks for the help" she said bitterly, eyeing Alucard relaxing in his chair. Dropping the thick book down on the desk she flicked through until she found her mark, "90 percent" she smiled staring at the mark.

"Can I see?" Alucard asked staring at the book,

"Huh?" Victoria raised a brow, "you won't really get it though..." she trailed off, receiving a bank stare from the vampire. "fine, don't wreck it though" she huffed sliding the book over. Carefully Alucard opened the book and thoughtfully flicked through the pages, Victoria turned back to her notes and was attentively listening to the teacher.

XxX

Walking out of the hall Victoria could feel the medications wearing off and the casual aching pain returned to her arm, "red, you have any more meds? She grunted adjusting her bag,

"No, is your pain returning?" He asked absently staring at the setting sun,

"Yeah.." She trailed off adjusting her arm in the sling. Noticing his thoughtful stare into the sky she laughed "Whatcha staring at? Surely you've seen a sunset before?"

Alucard shook his head gently, "not many, I'm always asleep at this hour.."

"Come here" Victoria murmured tugging his jacket to follow, he reluctantly followed the woman to a large stone staircase leading to the old library. She painfully sat down on the stairs and dropped the heavy folio and bag beside her, Alucard then ungracefully sat down beside her. "You can see it best from here" she pointed to a gap in the wall of trees where the slowly darkening sky was visible, the vampire removed his glasses and stained at the sky thoughtfully, 'he looks so peaceful, you wouldn't even be able to tell he's a vampire' Victoria thought occasionally glancing at him.

"There was a painting of this in your book" he muttered, looking sideways at the woman,

Victoria fiddled awkwardly with the corners if her folio, "Yeah I used to sit here every afternoon in the spring, inspired me I guess..."

Alucard nodded, his gaze still fixated on the sky, "its nice" he said gruffly,

"nice?" the artist repeated skeptically, "its amazing, every single one is different, and don't even get me started on the colors.." she trailed off smiling lightly. The pair sat in silence for several minutes in silence watching the sun disappearing over the far hills, "he red, can I ask you something?" Victoria begun awkwardly,

"you already have" he smirked.

"ugh, you know that's not what I meant!" the artist huffed, " but being serious... and you don't have to answer if you don't want to..." she quickly looked over at the vampire to make sure he was listening. "have you ever you know, like had to kill someone.."

Alucards neutral look faded to a frown, "why do you wish to know?"

"Because, your a vampire, and erm, higher up on the food chain?" she reasoned, "I need to know if i'm in danger",

the vampire sighed and glanced sideways to see the woman staring at her shoes uncomfortably, "Yes, i've killed people, however I no intention to harm, or let harm come to you".

Victoria fiddled with her jacket nervously, "oh uh, thanks",

Alucard's eyes widened realising what he just said, "i'm just following orders" he said coldly.

the artist frowned, 'of course you are' she thought bitterly. There was another awkward silence, "what about Seras? has she killed anyone?"

"she won't even drink blood, much less kill someone" he growled irritability,

'I need to talk to her later' the woman noted, "well there's no rush for her to kill someone" she snapped. Alucard was about to respond when Victoria heard people approaching from behind,

"there're people behind us, put your glasses back on" Victoria hissed.

The vampire obeyed slipping his usual glasses back on in time for a small group of people to approach, "they're in my art class.." She trailed off boredly staring into the distance.

"Oh hey I know you! Your in my class!" one of the women in the group called to Victoria,

She raised a brow and pointed to herself confused, "me?"

"Yeah you!" the woman giggled, she was surrounded by a small group of three girls with one boy, all of which had their gaze fixed on the pair.

"Oh um... hi, can I help you? Do you need notes or something..." Victoria asked awkwardly digging in her bag,

"No silly! We just think your... Erm... Really cool.." She trailed off looking around the group for reassurance, they nodded in agreement and muttered words of praise.

'Im not buying it, they've never even looked at me before' she thought suspiciously. "Oh well thanks I guess.." She replied smiling awkwardly eager for the conversation to end. "Hey red, can we go now I'm getting cold and sore" she yawned standing up, the vampire nodded and followed,

"Give me your book and bag" he demanded holding out a gloved hand,

Handing over the items she muttered words of thanks. Turning back to the group Victoria saw they were all huddling and whispering, "erm well, see you around I guess" she called.

"Wait!" A girl from the group called, "we're going out to celebrate our last day, you and your... Uh friend? Are invited too" she called desperately,

"Uh, thanks but I don't know..." She trailed off awkwardly,

Another girl stood forward in another attempt, "ill buy you a round?"

Looking up at Alucard he merely shrugged not caring either way. "Yeah alright, just for abit" she compromised.

XxX

It was a short walk to the pub around the corner from the campus, one many students frequently visited. The group took up a large section of the small pub, Victoria was pushed between a girl she knew as Marcy and the one boy in the group who's name she didn't know. Alucard sat across from her in between two women and had a slight scowl on his face and was tearing up the napkin in front of him slowly, savoring each tear. It wasn't long before the first round of drinks arrived and Victoria downed her greedily, eager to ease the pain in her body, looking around she noticed she was the only one with alcohol.

"So Victoria whats your freinds name?" Marcy whispered,

"Uh.. Alucard" she replied.

Marcy nodded, her pastel pink ponytail bobbing slightly, "so Alucard, how do you know Victoria" she asked playfully,

'Thats an odd question..' Victoria mused still suspicious of the groups intentions.

Alucard's head snapped up at he stared at the women, "she and I work together" he replied coldly.

Marcy glanced at the other women on the table and they nodded slightly, "so I love this whole Victorian vibe your giving" the woman on the left of him giggled, playing absently with her hair.

"It was a bad time in history for my kind" he grunted still destroying the napkins and increasing the pile infront of him, there was an awkward silence and there were exchanged looks around the table.

"Can I get you a drink?" The woman on the right whispered, rubbing his shoulder affectionately,

The vampire grinned misunderstanding her actual intentions. He moved a hand to brush the hair away from her neck, "maybe you can..." He purred inspecting the flesh, the girl giggled oblivious to his intentions.

From underneath the table Victoria kicked Alucard in the shin as hard as she could, he growled and retracted his advances. "Stop it" Victoria mouthed, he scowled and returned to destroying various items. The girl scowled upset Victoria interfered, looking over to the male in the group she mouthed something incomprehensible.

"So Victoria, what was the subject for your final piece?" The man asked sliding another drink infront of the women,

'Oh thank god, relatable conversation' she thought relieved. "Ah well for my first piece I thought I would explore the impact of human industry on the environment, and then.." Victoria was rambling about her subject oblivious to the fact the man was completely uninterested, he was texting under the table and would occasionally nod or smile to fain interest. Alucard saw this and felt an indescribable irritation, 'he isn't even making an effort' he observed, meanwhile the two women beside him were attempting to find a subject he could relate to and failing miserably. It had occurred to the vampire why Victoria had been invited out tonight and he was contemplating on whether or not to tell her, but figured she would figure it out.

XxX

An hour later several glasses surround Victoria and she had a visible red tint on her cheeks, 'she's drunk again' Alucard observed. The man had been keeping Victoria's attention by giving her his phone to play games on, but it was obvious she was getting bored.

"Hey red wanna get out of here?" She yawned rubbing her eyes, Marcy's eyes widened and she pulled Victoria gently back down to her seat,

"Oh no no no, come on, we've only been here abit.." She trailed off awkwardly looking around for reassurance from the group.

"Nah I don't know, I got work tomorrow.." She trailed off,

"Just one more round" Marcy begged still holding the artist in her seat,

"Mmm alright" she replied before looking over at the girl who had been silent the entire night, "do I know you? Ya look familiar.." She squinted trying to get a better look at the girls face.

"Yeah we went to highschool together" she reminded,

Victoria nodded before pulling out her phone, "shit it's getting late" she cursed. There were panicked looks around the tables and the women became more direct,

"So are you are Victoria a couple?" Marcy leaned over the table and leveled her face with the vampire's.

Alucard looked away from the woman, "no" he growled,

"So your single?" She giggled ignoring his increasing frustration,

"I'm not discussing this" he deadpanned. Marcy frowned and sat back in her seat,

"Hey Marcus can I talk to you real quick?" She asked sweetly, the man nodded and they both retreated to the back of the pub.

"Bathroom" Victoria murmured before walking to the back door,

XxX

As soon as Victoria left the remaining woman on the table shifted closer to Alucard shooting questions rapidly,

"So your single right?"

"Do you like her?"

"Do you want to go out sometime?"

Alucard sighed and ignored the questions. Usually he wouldn't mind the attention as infatuated woman made easy prey, but for some reason lately it had become annoying.

A woman grazed her hand with his, "listen, you shouldn't go for her" she murmured referring to Victoria, "In high school she had a major drinking problem and would go to parties and get in fights." The woman listed off, "and after her mom went to the nursing home she went so downhill she'd show up at school smashed" she explained with false sympathy.

Alucards eyes snapped to her in an intimidating stare, "what".

"Yeah she was a real mess then she left to go join the army or military... something like that I don't know. But I can see she's still a drunk, sweetie you seriously don't want her", she snickered playing with a strand of his ebony hair. Suddenly the vampires hand snapped up and ripped her hand away

"Don't tell me what I and don't want" he growled crushing her wrist causing her to squeal in pain, the rest of the group to come to her aid and begun begging the man to let go.

XxX

Victoria leaned against the wall for support, her legs ached and her mind was foggy. Walking to the bathroom she heard two people arguing in the intersex bathroom,

"Your supposed to keep her distracted!" Marcy screeched,

"But shes a drunken weirdo, a shiny teaspoon could keep her entertained" the man argued back.

There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, "Alucard's attached to her like glue, your suppose to separate her from him so I get a chance!"

"Ow fuck why did you slap me!" He complained,

"Because you fucked up! Seriously how hard is it to keep a drunk women entertained, she's probably begging for attention" Marcy barked.

Victoria was correct in her theory 'I knew this was a setup' she thought bitterly. Bursting through the door she walked upto the pair and towered over them, "oh hey Victoria hav-"

"Shut up, I heard everything!" She hissed,

The pair looked at each other and hung their heads in shame like kids being caught. "We can expla-"

"No you can't!" She growled, "Your both fucking pathetic, you think your fucking sneaky and cute doing this? Say that shit to my face I dare you!" Victoria took a step closer to them and they took a step back. "See? Your cowards, you make me sick. Be grateful I'm not seeing your asses again, or there'd be hell to pay!" She threatened, walking out the door she flipped the pair off before slamming the door.

XxX

Walking back into the bar Victoria's eyes widened when she saw what Alucard was doing, rushing over she tried to pry his hand off the girl's fragile wrist. "Red no! Don't you'll break it!" She yelled still attempting to stop him, his eyes were blank and he stared predatorily at the girl in his grip. "ALUCARD!" She shouted, the vampires attention snapped to her,

"What" he growled,

"Let her go" she said softly still gently pulling at his arm.

He loosened his grip a little but still held her firmly, "she has no right to talk about you" He trailed off,

"Alucard they only invited me so they could flirt with you, I should have expected this" she murmured,

The vampire dropped the girl in his grip and snarled at her, "it's not your fault" he gruffly reassured.

"No I should have expected it by now, I'm just a weird drunk" she whispered feeling her eyes begin to water, "I'm sick of it, let's go home".

He nodded and retrieved her folio and bag from underneath the table, suddenly Marcy and the boy came out from the bathroom, she was crying heavily and the group rushed to her aid. Walking out the door Victoria had to fight the urge to turn back and relish in the scene she caused.

XxX

"It's ten minutes till the next train" Victoria sniffed staring at the schedule board, after several minutes there was no reply and her throat grew tight, "...sorry you had to hear that shit about me".

Alucard shook his head softly dismissing her apology, "I don't care",

Victoria turned away from his gaze, shuffling awkwardly over to a seat before sitting down. shortly after Alucard sat down beside her, "this keeps happening to me, every social thing just ends up... Janked" she sniffed brushing the hair away from her face, "what did she tell you?"

"You drank and fought often" he recalled absently off,

"I lived with my brother, he was a shitty influence" she mumbled.

Alucard frowned, "your past doesn't matter",

"I don't want you guys to know who I was, I'm getting better buts it's still a problem... Don't tell anyone... Please" she begged,

"I won't" he grunted, staring at the tracks. He glanced over to see the women gently wiping her eyes, "are you going to cry?" He asked awkwardly,

Victoria sniffed loudly and dabbed her eyes, "nah, not if I can help it. No point, crying won't help" she whispered.

Alucard nodded but couldn't pry his eyes away from her, even he could tell she was suffering both mentally and physically, "how are you feeling?"

"Shit" she replied simply, "I'm not handling everything aswell as I thought..." She trailed off frowning. Alucard was silent, struggling to come up with comforting words,

"You'll be alright" he muttered,

"Eventually, but it doesn't feel that way now... You just don't get it" she said coldly. The train approached the platform and they silently took their seats, preparing for a long awkward ride home.

XxX

Victoria and Alucard stood in the manors front room, it was approaching nine o'clock and Victoria was eager to climb into bed. The vampire offered to take Victoria to the kitchen to get a snack but she persistently refused,

"I'm just not hungry..." She said boredly.

Alucard growled lowly "You must eat!"

"Just let me go to bed, I'm not hungry" she pleaded turning around to go to her room,

"It's because you drank too much!" He argued back, Victoria turned back and glared at him, the vampires eyes widened realising what he said.

"What?" She hissed, daring him to say it again,

Alucard stood awkwardly "I meant th-"

"Nope, shut up, I know what you meant" she growled, "goodnight" she hissed stomping off down the hall. The vampire huffed and went in the opposite direction to his room, hoping she wouldn't be this way tomorrow.


	16. Chapter 16 - Wishful Thinking

**Sorry if everyone's a bit OOC, (I tried to keep them in character as much as possible)**

**Oh and a tremendous thank you to everyone who viewed, (10,000 views woo!)**

thanks for reading, please review :P

enjoy!

* * *

Victoria groaned as she sat up from her bed, the events of last night rushing back into her head as a combination of embarrassing and frustrating nightmares. Climbing out of the comfort of her bed she hurriedly took the growing pile of pills on her nightstand, still finding her pounding headache and aching shoulder held her previously irritable mood. Ignoring the mediocre breakfast Walter had left on her desk she quickly showered and got dressed for the day, stuffing her phone in her jacket pocket and putting her arm back into the sling she opened the door only to come face to face with Seras,

"I was just about to come in" she laughed nervously but quickly stopped at seeing Victoria's un-amused expression. "oh uh.. today's a big day! First we are going to collect your things..then when you get back you'll be going straight to the medical ward"

Victoria nodded slowly and shut the door behind her, staring at Seras blankly before the pair begun awkwardly walking to the main entrance. Once there Seras gestured to two large suitcases leaning against the door, "Sir Integra said you can only keep what fits in those" she explained genuine sympathy in her voice.

The artist tisked, 'typical of her' she cursed, "l thought Alucard was coming with us?"

"Erm so did I, but I'm not sure where he is.." She said dismissively, obviously not the least bit upset he wasn't coming, "anyway let's get going!" She exclaimed cheerfully nudging the artist out the door. Waiting out the front of the manor Victoria watched Walter load the empty bags into the trunk, looking down at her slinged arm she sighed, feeling more useless than ever. She glanced to the fledgling standing beside her and didn't miss the sad look she gave her, 'she's pitying me' Victoria thought bitterly, Seras opened her mouth to say something but Victoria quickly cut in,

"Aren't you cold?" The artist asked in an attempt to change the nonverbal topic,

"Ah no, not really! Vampires don't..feel cold..." she trailed off awkwardly.

"your a vampire, you don't need to be awkward about it, I don't care what you are" Victoria stated bluntly,

The blonde scratched her head awkwardly "Oh uh, thanks I guess?"

Suddenly Walter called to the girls that the car was ready, the pair climbed into the backseat of the vehicle and settled down for the ride.

XxX

Rounding the corner to Victoria's apartment complex the woman narrowed her eyes at seeing the door slightly ajar, "someone's in my apartment" she whispered to Seras shakily. The fledgling nodded before motioning for her to stay behind while she slowly crept forward, slipping inside the door and out of sight. Several seconds later Victoria could hear an annoyed shriek and rushed into the apartment, "Seras! Seras what is it!?" She called rushing around the apartment before finally finding the fledgling in her bedroom. The blonde sat on the edge of her bed and held her chest ,

"He's here" she huffed.

"Wh-" Victoria shrieked when something wrapped around her waist up expectantly, whipping around she came face to face with Alucard who was grinning mischievously. "Jesus chest red you scared the shit outta me!" She growled angrily ripping his arms off her,

He laughed lowly before placing a gloved hand on her head and ruffling her hair tremendously which he knew she hated, huffing she blew the stray strands out of her face and scowled. "Why are you here!?"

He walked over to her dresser and examined the various trinkets and items atop it, "to help you move of course".

"I don't buy it" Victoria deadpanned, "go back to your coffin or something",

Alucard's smirk faded from his face, "do you truly wish for me to leave?" He asked feigning hurt.

she turned away from his stare feeling guilt, "Ugh I don't know... I guess you could be helpful" Victoria sighed, too tired to argue.

"Fantastic" he smirked,

The artist narrowed her eyes suspiciously "Well anyway.. Seras you and I can clean out my room" she gestured vaguely to the closet. "Red, there are paints and brushes on the dining table, just make sure they are all closed and chuck them in this bag" she instructed throwing him a large bag, nodding the vampire walked off to complete the task. "Shall we start then?" Victoria asked,

"alright" the blonde replied tiredly digging into the mountain of clothes.

XxX

Victoria begun to grow restless and could see Seras becoming bored, "I'm going to make some coffee, want any?" She offered eager for a break.

Seras smiled kindly, "thank you... But last time I drank something other than.. Erm" she stopped herself awkwardly

"Blood?" Victoria supplied absently.

"yeah, I threw up everywhere" Seras finished,

The woman nodded solemnly understanding her original reluctance to drink alcohol "Ah well that was my fault, sorry about that",

the fledgling shook her head softly "Oh no, I had a lot of fun!" She beamed,

Victoria stood up sorely and yawned, "that's good to hear, we should go again sometime" she remarked before walking out to the kitchen. However to her confusion, Alucard was standing infront of the sink and pouring the contents of a bottle into it, "red? What are you doing" she asked slowly walking upto the man. He grunted and continued pouring, Victoria huffed and slowly squeezed into the small space between him and the counter. Finally able to see his actions her eyes widened at seeing the quickly emptying vodka bottle, "what the fuck Alucard!" She screeched snatching the bottle from his hands. Growling lowly he attempted to snatch it back only for Victoria to pull it out of reach, "what is your damage! Do you know how much this costs!" She hissed angrily observing the remaining liquid.

"I'm helping" he replied gruffly,

"Oh my god, no, no your not!" Victoria slammed the bottle back down on the counter, "is this another order?! Did you nark on me to Integra? Did she make you do this?!"

"No!" He snapped, "it controls you too much",

Victoria's scowl faded to a frown, "yeah well, it's not gonna affect my work".

"I don't care about that" Alucard growled,

"Then why do you care!" The artist barked.

"I don't know" he spat avoiding the woman's hateful glare,

She looked away from his irrratated expression and sighed, "go sit down and don't touch anything else" she ordered. Obediently he brushed past her and took a seat on the couch, Victoria put the drink back in the fridge and when she turned around Alucard was laying on his back atop the small couch. His feet hung over the edge and he'd pulled his hat over his face, 'must be really tired to sleep there' she noted.

XxX

Walking back into the bedroom she saw Seras flipping through a sketchbook thoughtfully,

"Whatcha got there?" Victoria asked playfully,

Seras jumped and quickly attempted to hide the book, "Sorry, I just saw it in the drawer and it looked interesting and-" she frantically explained.

The artist shook her head softly "Seras it's fine, I don't really care",

Nodding embarrassingly Seras replaced the book back into it's spot, "...what were you and master fighting about?"

"Asshole poured my vodka down the sink, reckons he was helping" she huffed,

The blonde fidgeted awkwardly "He really cares about you, I'm sure he had good intentions".

"Pfft I doubt it, probably did it to mess with me or something" she remarked bitterly,

"you really don't like him do you?" The fledgling paled.

"It's not that I don't like him, he's nice sometimes. He's just so distant, and always with the following orders.. Jesus it's like everything he does for me is an order... And the other night.." Victoria felt her face flush, "...Nevermind".

Seras raised an eyebrow, "hmm...that's weird, Sir Integra hasn't given him any orders relating to you in awhile.." She trailed off thoughtfully,

Victoria's eyes widened "Wait what?"

"Yeah, the last one was to go with you to your lecture, but he was going anyway" Seras recalled.

'So he's been lying to me? Is he willingly being nice?' She thought uncertainly. Wanting to change the subject she recalled a burning question she'd had for awhile, "Ok another question real quick, feel free not to answer if you don't want to" Victoria emphasized, " but..why don't you drink blood?"

The fledglings attitude changed, and a look of shame crossed her face, "it's hard to explain but, I'll just feel less human I guess, more like..." She trailed off,

"A monster?" Victoria supplied.

Seras nodded softly, "I'm just not ready yet.."

"How long has it been?" The artist asked concerned,

"A few weeks...master said that if I wasn't from his blood I would have died" she said softly.

Victoria frowned "Well obviously you want to live yeah?"

Seras nodded frantically, "of course"

"Well your body, just like a human one, needs food. The form that food is in doesn't matter, starving yourself won't change you back." Victoria explained sternly,

"I know, it's just.." Seras struggled to find more excuses, but found none, 'she had a good point'.

"It's all psychological, you've out up a mental barrier preventing you from doing something.. If you want.. I can help you tear it down?" she offered.

The blonde smiled softly, "I'd like that.. Thank you",

"Don't worry about it, now let's get back to work" Victoria sighed turning back to the mess.

XxX

Several hours later and the pair had finally packed up everything Victoria needed, the apartment looked completely bare except for the furniture to be donated. Looking around the apartment the woman sniffed,

"Are you alright?" Seras asked concerned,

"Yeah, it's just as shitty as it was I had a lot of good memories here I guess..." Victoria trailed off wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

The fledgling nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, "I'll take the bags downstairs and call Walter, you wait up here where it's warm and I'll come get you when he's here".

"Thanks Seras.. For everything today" Victoria smiled softly, The blonde nodded and returned the smile before walking out the open door with the bags. The woman placed several more things in her handbag before remembering the man asleep on her couch, walking over she contemplated the best way to wake him up.

Wondering if his reaction would be violent, gently she lifted the hat off his face and poked his cheek gently with no reaction. 'He's rather peaceful looking when he sleeps' she thought fondly, she shook his shoulder gently and whispered his name horsely. This time there was a soft groan and he shifted uncomfortably, 'this is getting awkward' she thought. "Alucard" she addressed in a normal voice, "wake up".

He rolled from his back onto his side and mumbled, "...Katja...",

Victoria felt a pang of jealously and frowned, she knelt beside him and gently pulled the glasses off, "Alucard" she again called. To her surprise his eyes cracked open slightly and he smiled softly, slowly he reached out and gently caressed her cheek with his gloved hand, "_Sotia mea_" whispered affectionately. Victoria felt her cheeks heat up instantly and she placed her own hand over his, 'he's dreaming' she observed, gently she moved his hand back to his side and he frowned before closing his eyes again. Victoria felt her chest hurt and her head swim,

'as if I wasn't confused enough. Even after hundreds of years he's still not over her' she thought bitterly. Standing up she shook his shoulder roughly enticing a snarl from the man, "get up" she barked coldly. His eyes slowly opened and he looked at her with hatred, "yeah get pissy at me later, we're leaving".

Slowly the vampire sat up and looked around the room confused, "we're done?"

"Yes, I'm waiting for Seras to tell me when Walter gets here" Victoria replied shortly.

"Your still angry" he commented, there was an awkward silence and the woman wished she could tell him what he did but he'd never believe her. Glancing at the vampire she saw him hang his head and stare at the floor blankly, walking over to the man she stood infront of him awkwardly.

"Everything ok?" She asked gruffly,

He mumbled something but she could only make out words "...dreamed again...Katja... "

"When we get back just go back to sleep, your obviously tired" she huffed. He looked up at her for the first time in hours and they made eye contact, she could see the sadness in his crimson eyes, and he could see the tiredness in hers.

"I could say the same for you, the circles under your eyes aren't bruises" he replied absently,

"Seems we've both been avoiding it then.." She trailed off before offering a hand to help him up. He gently wrapped it around hers and she pulled his weight to his feet, he stood staring down at her fondly while she avoided his stare. "Erm you can let go now" she laughed awkwardly gesturing to their still joined hands, slowly they pulled apart while his stare lingered. "Why are you staring at me?" Victoria asked awkwardly taking a few steps back from their close contact,

"Habit" he replied.

"I don't know how to feel about that" she laughed awkwardly not knowing how to respond, "come on, let's go".

He nodded slowly and placed the hat and glasses back on his head, Victoria slung the bag over her shoulder before turning off the lights for the last time.

XxX

The pair walked down the corridor heading for the elevator when from around the corner Scott appeared, his face still sported a sizable bruise but it was the bruise on his ego that was the largest. "Oh Victoria, who's your friend?" He asked anxiously eyeing the man suspiciously,

Before Victoria could answer the vampire cut in, "Alucard" he introduced holding out a hand, Scott's eyes flickered nervously between Victoria's and Alucard's stoic expression. He shook the mans hand weakly but the vampire held on, slowly increasing the pressure causing Scott to flinch and attempt to pull away.

"You don't talk to her anymore" Alucard growled before letting go, the redhead nodded before cradling his hand to his chest and scampering away.

"I could have handled that.." Victoria scowled,

He glanced at her tiredly "I didn't want you to". The artist nodded in defeat, both too tired to argue. Arriving at the lobby of the building Victoria saw Seras loading the heavy bags into the trunk of the car like they weighed nothing. Turning around she saw Victoria and waved at her enthusiastically, waving back with her good arm she pulled on Alucard's jacket to follow, who was occupied glaring at the other residents. Suddenly something occurred to her "wait...what about my rent and deposit, and do they know I've-" Victoria asked frantically,

"it's taken care of" the vampire replied, the woman uncertainly nodded not fully understanding what, 'taken care of' meant. The pair stepped outside into the cold were the warmth and comfort of the car awaited, the trio quickly clambered into the car and were squashed into the backseats with Victoria, to her discomfort, in the middle.

XxX

After half an hour in the car her Victoria's eyes grew heavy and the enticing aspect of sleep was eventually too much for her to fight off, causing her to fall into a heavy sleep. Alucard watched her writhe in the uncomfortable position before gently pulling her to his shoulder, her head leaned against his arm and her body turned to it's side. He glanced at his fledgling to see her staring awkwardly,

"Uh won't she be upset?" She whispered,

The vampire shook his head gently, "no, she needs rest". Seras still held doubt and wondered what caused the vampires change of attitude towards Victoria, but he had a point so she left the issue alone.

XxX

An hour later and the car pulled upto the manor, Seras climbed out to help Walter with the bags leaving Victoria and Alucard alone in the car. He gently shook her shoulder such as she'd done for him, however she was a much lighter sleeper and awoke immediately. Her eyes opened and she lifted her head from the mans shoulder, "sorry" she apologized awkwardly rubbing her eyes.

Alucard shook his head dismissing her apology, "You still have to go to the medical ward" he reminded brushing the hair from her face.

Too tired to object to his actions she merely nodded before climbing out of the vehicle, "where is it?" She asked walking into the main entrance.

"I will take you" Alucard stated before suddenly placing an arm under her knees and between her shoulders and lifting her off the ground bridal style,

"What that hell red, I can walk!" Victoria protested.

Alucard shook his head "You need to conserve energy",

Letting out a frustrated sigh she readjusted to a more comfortable position, "whatever just don't let anyone see me", 'ugh why's he being so...touchy today' she mused. The vampire effortlessly navigated the halls and found the medical ward easily, kicking open the door he gently placed her onto empty bed. Huffing she begun to sit up only to be gently but firmly pushed down,

"Lay down until master arrives" he instructed.

Yawning the woman submitted "Fine, when is she coming?"

"She has almost finished debriefing the mercenaries now" Alucard informed,

Victoria sat up slightly, "Your replacing soldiers with mercenaries? Who?"

"The Wild Geese, you do not know them" he answered, "I will go tell her your here",

Victoria nodded and settled back down into the bed, "alright, I'll be here". The vampire nodded and walked off to retrieve the Hellsing leader.

XxX

Victoria struggled to keep her eyes open as the enticing offer of sleep once again tempted her, however the threat of nightmares kept her firmly awake. 'It seems like hours since he left' she thought, wondering when Integra would arrive, however moments later there was a loud knocking on the doors and they burst open. Victoria quickly clambered out of bed and attempted to correct her disheveled appeared, "good evening Sir Integra" she greeted tiredly.

"And to you" she replied before gesturing to a man in a green military uniform beside her, "Pip Bernadette our mercenary leader needs medical attention" she stated simply. upon closer inspection the man was holding his nose tightly while a thin trail of blood seeped out, Victoria nodded obediently and sprung into action, her training finally having use. She guided him to a bed, into which he flopped into graciously, Victoria then quickly searched the various cupboards before finding the desired items, dumpingg an assortment of cotton balls and containers on the bed she removed her arm from the sling before tying up her long hair and putting on gloves.

She placed a bucket underneath his head and slowly she pried the mans hand away from his nose, shortly after the previously restrained blood begun dripping into the bucket like a faucet. "What happened?" She said in awe examining the damage,

"Zhe vampire girl 'appened!" He exclaimed.

Victoria tisked and begun feeling the damage enticing painful wails from the man, "Well she doesn't go around hurting people for fun, what did you do?"

"She was trying to prove zhat she was a vampire" he huffed wriggling in discomfort,

"Stop moving" she commanded, "You didn't believe her then?"

"No! Who would! she was so innozent looking, how was I suppose to know zhat she was a mon-" Victoria quickly snapped his nose back into place with a single swift movement, enticing horrible howls of pain.

"What were you saying?" Victoria asked intimidatingly,

"Nothing" Pip paled. From behind her Victoria could hear deep low laughing, 'Alucard' she groaned internally. However turning around she saw Integra's intimidating stare directed at her,

"Uh broken nose...sir, only way to fix it is to rebreak it" she explained quickly.

"I'm aware. It seems your competent with your job, and looking at your old military profile it seems you've had enough field experience" Integra said in a matter-of-factly tone. "I will inform you when your first field test will be",

Victoria nodded "Thank you sir".

Walter who had unbeknownst to the artist had been present the whole time, walked upto her and placed a small black box in her hand. "A pager" he clarified, "for when your required here or at Sir Integra's office".

"Uh thanks" she said uncertainly not knowing if the item was a gift or burden,

Integra nodded before taking her leave "I still expect that portrait to be finished by the way" she remarked before her and Walter headed out the door.

"Ah shit I forgot about that, the reason I'm in this mess" she muttered,

"Uh excuze me, but when can I go?" Pip asked irritably.

Victoria pulled out various chemicals and bandages, "I have to clean the blood off and bandage it" she remarked boredly before pouring antiseptic onto a cotton pad. Pip sunk back in his bed and eyed the liquid suspiciously, "what iz zhat?"

"Antiseptic, your not afraid of it are you?" Victoria snickered,

"No itz just zhat... Erm" he trailed off.

Looking over her shoulder she saw Alucard still there staring at her, "hold on a minute" she murmured enticing a sigh of relief from pip. "What are you doing here" she asked the vampire,

"Observing" he stated simply.

"Can't you observe from further away, your practically on top of me" she complained eyeing the mere centimeters of distance between them.

The vampire grinned eerily, "but here is the best view" he purred,

"Stop being weird" Victoria frowned before lightly pushing him backwards. She turned back to pip cheerfully, "I'm going to clean the blood off now" she stated. The mans eyes widened as the antiseptic brushed his skin but he felt no pain, "see it's all finnnee~" Victoria reassured much like how you would a child. After several minutes she had finally removed all the blood both dry and wet,

"Painkillers?" pip asked hopefully as he lightly touched his sore nose.

"Hmm alright, but you can only take them when your off duty okay?" Victoria instructed before going to the medicine cabinet. However as she turned around she bumped into the vampires chest, "dammit Alucard you moved closer didn't you!" She growled trying to move away from him awkwardly. The vampire grinned but offered no response, "listen whatever little trick or whatever your trying to pull, don't do it while I'm working!" She hissed before shoving him to the side and grabbing the pills out of the cabinet. Turning around she placed the pill container in his hand and helped him off the bed,

"What was your name again?" Pip asked looking at her curiously.

"Victoria stein I'm the new field and resident medic" she said shaking his hand in a businesslike matter, "your Pip Bernadette?"

"Yes, I'm am the leader of the Wild Geese" he stated proudly, "you should come by our barracks for a poker game one night" he offered,

"Yeah sure I'd love too, it gets boring around here" Victoria laughed awkwardly, "well I'll see you around then",

"'opefully on better terms next time" he laughed, "thanks for ze 'elp" he called walking out the door. Victoria smiled and sighed exhaustively, pulling the gloves off she begun to clean the bloody mess, noticing Alucard had taken her order to move back, as he now sat at the opposite end of the room.

"You sulking now?" She asked condescendingly,

"No" he growled crossing his arms. Victoria gave him a doubtful look before slipping her sore arm back into the sling, "pain?" He asked gruffly.

"Like you wouldn't believe, the healing has pretty slowed down to a stop" she complained, washing her hands in the small sink. When she turned around she was face to face with the man, "we need to have a talk about person space" she glared nervously as he slowly backed her against the counter.

"I can give you more blood" he offered slyly,

Victoria paled "uh thanks but no thanks, it's too weird for me... I was unconscious last time".

He gazed in her eyes longingly "or you could Join us" he murmured,

Victoria frowned "What do you mean? I work here, do I need an ID or something?..."

He shook his head gently and brushed the hair out of her face "I offer you undeath, become a Nosferatu",

Victoria's eyes widened and she waved his hand away, "why? My wounds will eventually heal, there's no immediate threat of death. Plus what about Katja? I'm guessing her taking over my body is bad" She stated . There were several seconds of silence and the vampire looked away guiltily, "right?..." she asked waiting for his reassurance. After several more seconds of silence, it came to her 'he wants it to happen!' she concluded. "Alucard... You, tremeNDOUS ASSHOLE!" She hissed pushing away angrily. "Your trying to get her back aren't you!" Victoria growled angrily glaring at him,

Alucard huffed, "no.." he lied.

"Yes you do! That explains your weirdness today and you calling me Katja!" Victoria barked angrily scrunching the paper towel in her hand, "oh my god... And here I was thinking you actually cared about me!" The woman felt nothing but dry anger and refused to show any other emotion, "your protecting me because I'm her vessel" she spat.

The vampires eyes widened, 'she's right' he thought, 'she saw right through me',

"Say something you piece of shit!" Victoria barked throwing the paper towel ball at him,

"I can't" he muttered softly.

Victoria strode upto him and stared at him with hatred, "Well tell me that it's not true! Tell me that it's ME you care about and not Katja!"

Alucard looked at her sadly, "...I can't". Victoria felt her throat burn and her eyes sting, looking at his face for a final time she saw nothing but a blank stare. She wanted to scream at him, tell him to get over it, make him tell her how he felt, instead she did none of those things and took out her feelings in the only way she knew how. The sound of skin connecting with skin resounded around the room, Victoria had slapped him as hard as she could and glared at him with as much hatred as she could manage. Immediately the vampire raised a hand to his sore cheek in shock, but it was the hateful glare and her cold words that hurt him the most,

"You don't deserve us" she growled bitterly before striding out of the room and slamming the door as hard as she could, leaving the vampire to brood.

* * *

Bit of Romanian

_sotia mea_ = my wife


	17. Chapter 17 - Hellsing's Journal

sorry but im not even going to attempt writing the German accent, any attempts ive made sound inconsistent and weird, and probably offend German people.

also the Rio trip isn't super detailed as its more of a background scene in this chapter sorry,

thanks for reading, enjoy!

* * *

Integra drummed her gloved gingers against the wooden desk irritability and lit her third cigar, inhaling the smoke graciously, "what of millennium?" She muttured,

The butler frowned before placing a cup of tea on the desk "So far all the information we have, is Enrico's".

At the name and memory of their recent meeting Integra felt her head pound, trying to recall the information she frowned,"remind me"

"It's origins are from over half a century ago, during the Second World War, Nazi party loyalists were preparing to flee from Germany. The majority of these remaining party members and soldiers, ended up in South America where they found refuge with number of Nazi sympathizers" Walter summarized fluently.

Integra frowned slightly, "Those survivors were the Millennium group"?

Walter nodded placing the file infront of her, "Indeed, Millennium also refers to the classified operation to move these individuals and suppliers to South America."

The woman looked at the folder thoughtfully, "South America you say..."

"Shall we send Alucard and Seras?" The butler asked already knowing the answer,

"Bernadette will go as well, I'll have them fly out this evening, a search mission" she explained thoughtfully.

Walter nodded and noted the information, "I will find a private flight... But what of Victoria?"

Integra scowled, "I suspected that they may have found out about her, I'm not risking the enemy capturing and using our own weapon against us".

"Weapon? Are you still planning on using her then?" Walter asked suspiciously, unsure of the ethical implications.

"When the time comes, I suspect Millennium will put up a fight, another powerful vampire will give us the upper hand" Integra explained lowly,

The butler frowned slightly, "is Alucard not enough?"

Integra narrowed her eyes at his disagreement "It benefits us if we have another. Now, go bring them here" she demanded.

"Yes sir" Walter replied before bowing and walking out of the office.

XxX

"Huh look who losing now!" Victoria sneered pulling the pile of money and valuables towards her,

Pip slammed his cards down on the table angrily "Dammit men, zhis is why we don't use real money!" He barked glaring at the man beside him who gave a meek shrug in reply. "How in za hell are you so good at zhis?!" He remarked staring at the money sadly,

Victoria shrugged "In the military we played this in our down time, I got pretty good I guess".

"Uh of courze, remind me never to play againzt you" he sighed,

"Aw nah, another game" a man said eagerly reshuffling the cards. Victoria was about to place her winnings in the middle to bet again when the pager in both Pip's and her pocket beeped and vibrated violently simultaneously. Both cursed and stood up from the table lazily, Victoria shoved the money back in her pocket and snickered "Sorry boys, guess you won't be winning your cash back today".

Several men groaned and left the table irratibly, "another time" she called walking out the door with Pip leaving the barracks. Glancing at the pager she saw it was a summon to Integra's office, 'she's going to yell at me again I bet' the artist thought gloomily before heading to the location.

XxX

Opening the door she was met with several sets of stares, however it was Alucard's that bothered her the most, it had been three days since they last spoke, and it didn't end on good terms. Avoiding his glare she stood confidently to the Hellsing leader and saluted playfully, "yes sir~?"

"At ease" she muttered before explaining the summon, "Alucard, Seras, and Pip are going to Brazil for a mission, you'll be staying here and assisting around the mansion. I'm having you trained in firearms usage and further medical training".

Victoria raised a brow in surprise, "You don't want me to go?"

"There is no need, I'm not wasting money sending you somewhere you don't need to be" she remarked oblivious to how rude it sounded.

'Gee thanks' Victoria thought bitterly, "alright then, when do they leave?"

"In an hour, say your farewells now as after you leave your going to the library" Integra instructed,

Frowning the artist walked over to Seras and wrapped her in a sudden tight embrace, surprising the fledgling to say the least, after several seconds however she returned the gesture. When they pulled apart Seras held an awkward expression, "I didn't think you were the touchy type" she laughed,

"Yeah I'm not" she laughed softly, "but seriously be safe, don't die and you have my number so text me whenever" Victoria muttered seriously.

"Thanks Victoria, I'll see you soon" Seras sniffed, the artist nodded and gave her a final hug before turning to pip,

"Pip, when you get back, we'll finish the game yeah?" Victoria asked,

He nodded and grinned, "yeah except zhis time I'll win" he remarked confidently. The artist smiled kindly before it turned to a serious glare directed at Alucard,

"I don't care if you die or not" she stated coldly, before pointing to Seras "and don't you dare be a dick to her" she threatened. Alucard nodded stiffly, aware he somewhat deserved the treatment he was receiving, noting she was still upset. Finally she nodded to Integra signalling her leave, heading to the library.

XxX

"God there's a lot of books" Victoria remarked in amazement glancing up and down the seemingly endless shelves.

"Indeed" a smooth voice replied behind her,

Whipping around Victoria almost jumped out of her skin, "Jesus Walter, you need a bell or something" she panted recovering her breath.

The butler smiled softly before gesturing to the shelves behind him, "Sir Integra wants you to be working at all times, therefore today you'll be assisting me in reorganizing shelves".

'Shes a slave driver' Victoria internally groaned, "alright but I won't be doing this the WHOLE day...will I?" She asked anxiously,

Walter shook his head softly "No of course not, I'm stepping out for awhile so when I return you may leave to your next task" he explained. "Now, you need to take the books off these three shelves and reorganize them in alphabetical order".

Groaning the artist examined the shelves, "are you serious?" She asked in disbelief,

"Entirely" he replied, "I'll see you in a few hours" he called walking through the library doors leaving the woman alone.

XxX

"Major what will we do now! Doc exclaimed frantically, "they have started to put it together, they know about Millennium…"

"Put it together you say? well were's the fun if they don't know who we are?"

Doc frowned, "Is it my imagination or are you enjoying this?"

"Enjoying doesn't fit word for this feeling. I'm ecstatic! Just think of what a terrible bloody war awaits us!" The major exclaimed grinning eerily,

The majors words only drove more anxiety into the man, "what of our spy's intel, Hellsings new weapon?" Doc commented nervously.

major laughed, "well, what of it? The brothers failed in collecting her, so we will have to move ahead, forget her for now. We'll move forward with plans for the impending war."

XxX

After a shelf and a half was completed Victoria collapsed onto a chair tiredly, "time for a break" she muttered sinking into the plush chair. Eyeing a pile of books left on the table Infront of her she saw that they were handwritten journals, picking up the open book beside it she flipped back to the title page. "A study on the death of vampires" she read aloud, "...by Abraham van Hellsing..." She trailed off. 'Related to Integra?' She wondered. Flicking through the pages her eyes snapped to a chapter of interest, 'reincarnate vampires and afterlife', "no way" she muttered around, surprised at the convenience. Flicking to the desired page she read the single page of information,

"Not much is know of the afterlife of these monsters, however a trip to the asylum of my associate Dr John steward, proved interesting when he provided me with access to a unique patient. The patient was approximately mid twenties, male and otherwise seemed healthy. He complained of hearing a voice in his head other than his own, and had a craving for human blood. After several days of observation I witnessed with my own eyes the transformation of this man, it seems he had become a vampire in mind and soul, but had a living body, he claimed to need the blood of a undead to complete his transformation. I was forced to collect information from the vampire I have in captivity, known as Count Dracula. He has tamed significantly and offered his co-operation in exchange for sustenance..."

"Count Dracula? I've heard that before" Victoria muttered, unable to recall where from.

"From what little information he gave on the subject, it proved useful, however I did not give him his end of the deal as I couldn't risk him returning to power. He knew little about the subject but was desperate for food, so he complied eagerly. He explained the possibilities of a powerful vampire being reincarnated into the body of a human in the same bloodline. He went on to explain if the vessel was significantly physically or mentally weak, the 'vampire' could easily control their body. Exposure to the toxic substance of vampire blood is often known to onset the reaction, however for the 'vampire' to fully control the vessel, a full transformation must occur.

Later I visited the 'reincarnate' in his cell, I asked him of this theory and his symptoms seemed consistent with what Dracula told me. However, the patient has told me that sometimes his and the vampires conscious will fuse into one being, similar to two people in one body. The vampire was volatile however, and would more often than not take control, the patient described it as a vicious, exhausting tug of war. Several days later he was found dead in his cell, seemingly unable to take the stress of it anymore. In all my years I have only encountered one of these beings, and since have had little information."

Victoria flicked to next page only to find it blank, the rest of the journal was blank and she felt a frustration built up inside of her. 'This is it? This is all anyone knows!' She thought angrily before throwing the book back onto the table before continuing with the laborious work irritably.

XxX

An hour later Walter came into the room to relieve her of the job, instructing her to go to the outside shooting range. The prospect of something interesting lightened her mood and she gladly followed the instructions, once there she was met with several members of the Wild Geese,

"My names Kane" one introduced holding out his hand which Victoria shook awkwardly, "I'm training you in basic firearm usage" he explained briefly before placing a hand gun on the table infront of her boldly. "Have you ever shot a gun before?"

"sometimes we'd go out to the range, I was never much good though" Victoria said through gritted teeth, her body shaking from the cold.

Kane nodded "Well we need you to be at least half decent, even a medic needs a gun here", he placed the gun in her hand before pointing down the range, "have a go".

Aiming down the sights as she was familiar with she fired all six shots, only one of which hit the board, "ah shit" she cursed eyeing the scattered holes.

"Nah it's alright for a newbie" he reassured before handing her another clip, "make your stance a little looser, and spread your legs apart more" he instructed,

Nodded the artist took the instructions but out of the shots only two hit the board, "maybe I'd be better if the gun wasn't shaking so much" she muttered gesturing to her cold shaking hands.

Tisking the man took the gun away, reloaded and effortlessly fired all six shots into the board, "ya have to be able to work in ALL conditions, it's a skill~" she bragged eyeing the board.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that" she murmured irritably before reloading.

XxX

~Later that night~

Pip glared at the vampire "What is zhis? My hotel is a trash heap on the edge of town, while you and Seras have the penthouse!" Pip protested angrily,

Alucard smirked "Cheap hotels can be extremely charming.."

Pip scoffed, "Is zhat so, Well anyway we'll start the investigation tomorrow. I'll come by once the sun sets".

"I can hardly wait…" Alucard muttered sarcastically. Oblivious to the two men, a scout prowled the halls and conveyed their arrival to the corrupt authorities setting in effect a disastrous chain of events.

XxX

Victoria slid the glasses back up her nose and stretched her sore back and arms, "how long have I been writing for" she sighed looking out the window and seeing the thick veil of night cover the sky. For the past three hours the artist had been writing up medical reports studying for her exams, oblivious to the passing time. Turning on the small tv that hung on the wall she flicked through the channels looking for the weather report, shorty after when she found the desired channel a image of Alucard and Seras showed on the screen she scrambled for the remote to turn up the volume,

"Just twenty minutes ago two armed terrorists, a man and a woman, killed several of the hotel guests and staff. They have now situated themselves on the top floor and they're taking over a dozen people hostages" the reporter said frantically. Victoria was in shock and couldn't believe what was going on, "are we the bad guys!?" She screeched not believing what was going on, "...are Alucard and Seras just monsters?"

XxX

Meanwhile in the other room Integra was fuming, she had just seen the news herself and was certain her vampires were being framed. "I've been informed that the SWAT team is going to storm the building" Walter mentioned anxiously,

Integra scowled, "how do you think Alucard is going handle the situation?"

Walter frowned and pitied the men in the team, "I imagine, he'll feel that they're an obstacle barring his way to main objective. And history has made clear his favorite tactics for dealing with obstacles"

"Even if they are humans? Just…ordinary ignorant men..." Integra trailed off,

The butler glanced at their image still on the computer, "You seem to sometimes forget who he really is, Alucard truly is a monster".

XxX

The men outside the hotel room door anxiously awaited their signal, many praying and saying their last words. Minutes later the squad leader gave the final signal and the men bust into the room before spotting and firing at the vampire, their bullets effortlessly tearing through his flesh and the window behind him. After several seconds of relentless firing the vampire fell to the ground in a hollowed, mangled and bloody form, the team lowered their weapons and approached the body cautiously. Satisfied with their kill the leader begun walking out while the team followed, however a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"..dogs... That was a very good try... However..." He trailed off huskily, while the squad watched on in terror as his wounds healed before their eyes, "..I cannot be killed by dogs" he growled. Before the SWAT team could raise their weapons in self defense Alucard viciously begun tearing them apart, screams filled the air and blood soon covered the entire room, chunks of human flesh and body parts were scattered around the floor and dyed the carpet red. When the room was silent Seras climbed out of her hiding place and observed the room in shock,

"Master.." She trailed off in disbelief.

"Prepare for battle" he commanded lowly,

"But master…these people…these are humans…" Seras complained. Suddenly Alucard grabbed her roughly by her collar and glared at her intimidatingly,

"I don't care what these things are, they came here to try and kill us! It no longer matters what they are, now they must die!" He growled angrily still glaring at the fledgling."

Seras paled, wishing Victoria were here to intervene, "Sorry master" she muttered submissively before the elder vampire released her,

"I'm calling Integra" he announced before dialing the number.

XxX

The major stared at the screens showing Alucard mercilessly killing the swat teams happily "what a glorious spectacle! I love it! I've missed my beautiful war very much! This is what I want...a creature who dances between life and death! Who mocks the borders between sanity and madness. He looks as lively as the day I saw him. I can hear a symphony of war".

Doc paled and glanced nervously at the screen, "imagine two..",

"You worry too much doctor! What better than two liven up this war!" Major cackled.

XxX

Alucard stood at the entrance nice of the hotel admiring the men impaled on the flagpoles, suddenly a voice snapped out of his daze,

"you really shouldn't play with your food, however you do certainly live up to your reputation" the name man snickered. "My name is Tubalcain Alhambra, Though, some people have taken to calling me the Dandy man" he explained walking up to where the vampire stood.

"Did these men belong to you?" Alucard said boredly glaring at the man,

"Oh, you're speaking of those unfortunate men up there" he guestured to the corpses on the flagpole, "their superiors were fools, so they allowed their men to end up being such a state. amazing what's some people do want the promise of immortality" Tubalcain commented idly.

"Taking Advantage of idiots, there is no such thing as immortality." Alucard remarked unamused, "You're starting to bore me. Let's cut to the chase. What are you here for?"

"I'm here to take your unlife, Millennium has given me the task of bringing you in, well, at least a sample" he remarked cheerfully, signalling the beginning of the fight. The two met in the middle and pulled out their weapons, each taking respective turns tearing each other apart, seemingly evenly matched. However it wasn't long before the pair moved to the roof of the building out of the public's prying eyes, continuing their bloody violent fight.

Meanwhile on the ground while the two vampires fought, Pip calmly walked into the police tent and easily killed the remaining officers, looking to the sky he saw the two vampires viciously fighting. Pip looked at the crowd who were becoming increasingly anxious, "we don't have long" he noted, "now.. Where did zey put zhat helicopter.."

XxX

Alucard dropped the vampire to the ground, his mutilated body crumpling into a heap before catching alight in blinding blue flames. The vision of majors army still echoing through his mind, "so it's war then?" he muttered,

"Master!" Seras called rushing to his side, ".. you killed him..." she muttered nudging the pile of ashes with her boot, now somewhat desensitized to his murderous tendencies. "What did he say?"

"It's not what he said but what I saw, it seems millennium is preparing for a full scale war" Alucard grunted.

The fledglings eyes widened and her knees felt weak, 'a single one was hard enough' she thought worriedly, suddenly a lodging thudding was heard above,

Pip leant out the side of the chopper and was hurriedly encouraging them to climb aboard, "Mr. Alucard! Miss Victoria! Hurry up!" He yelled over the choppers beating, "we're getting out of here"

XxX

~The next evening~

Seras precariously walked into the room, anxiously looking around, "uh Victoria? You in here?" She called,

The artist opened her eyes open and snapped her head up, "hm yeah?" She called tiredly.

"You fell asleep at your desk again" she giggled,

Victoria peeled the paper stuck to her cheek off, "shit...yeah I did. Forget that though, your finally back!" She exclaimed clumsily rushing over to hug the woman before giving her a stern look, "you have a lot of explaining to do! Why the hell where you on the news?!... Are we terrorists!?" She rambled worriedly.

"Well I'll be happy to tell you everything later..." She yawned, "but right now I'm exhausted. I need to sleep" she apologized,

Victoria huffed, "alright... I've waited two days, I guess I can wait longer".

"Thanks" Seras replied meekly, "oh and before I forget, master wants to see you",

"Yeah I bet he does" she growled cracking her knuckles, "where is he?"

"He'll find you" she replied, "when I leave he'll probably come",

"Never leave me Seras.." Victoria commanded seriously, "never ever".

The fledgling laughed awkwardly, "it won't be that bad, he's in an okay mood today",

groaning she gave in "alright, I'll see you later then" Victoria sighed before walking back to the desk and collapsing in the chair. Several seconds later she heard the door click shut, and several minutes later she heard it reopen. "Shy are we?" Victoria called condescendingly not bothering to check who it was since she already knew.

"I preferred the privacy" Alucard said simply closing the door behind him and striding into the room, "your arm seems well" he commented noticing her arm free from the sling.

"All the better to hit you with" she barked staring at him with hatred, He ignored her comment and took several strides over to examine her more closely. "Careful red your in striking range" she hissed eyeing the distance between them.

"I leave for two days, almost die, and this is the welcome I receive?" he commented absently,

"almost is never enough" Victoria growled.

"still angry?" Alucard asked, hoping she had finally gotten over it,

"what the fuck do you think?" the woman remarked stiffly swinging the chair away from him,

'apparently not' he thought. Alucard frowned and swung the chair back around to stare down at her angrily "Don't swear at me" he said lowly,

Avoiding his irritable gaze she stared at the door blankly, "what do you want?" She demanded.

"I'm apologizing" the vampire stated still staring at Victoria tensely,

"Cool, when?" She snapped.

Alucard clicked his teeth together in annoyance and frowned, "I'm trying to make this work Victoria, you should to",

"Excuse you?" The artist asked in disbelief, "make what work exactly?"

"Our relationship" he barked,

Victoria burst out laughing and buried her head in her hands and sighed "Oh my god, oh my fucking god" she murmured. Trying to process the situation she was hoping not to go insane, "And when the hell did you decide we were dating?" She asked calmly through gritted teeth.

"A few days ago" he recalled,

"Well thanks for telling me!" Victoria hissed sarcastically. "God I swear some of the shit I have to go through around here makes me what to jump off the roof of this building" she grunted.

"Don't" he replied firmly,

She sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair, "I don't know what happened to you in Rio, but whatever it is your feeling that's making you do.. this.. its probably fake and your still in love with Katja, so I'm not taking you seriously "she explained exasperated.

"I've already decided" He stated coldly,

"oh have you now? I don't know how old you are, but women aren't property anymore" she spat. "you don't get to decide things for them".

"well I knew you'd disagree" he commented, "why?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes angrily "I already told you",

the vampire shook his head gently, "no, seriously",

'I guess I owe him that much' she thought reluctantly. "..we're always fighting, your super weird with emotions sometimes, you never make up your mind and then there's Katja" she rambled, "who is kinda the last nail in the coffin". There was several seconds of silence and heavy thinking on both their parts,

"..what if she was gone?" he asked slyly, "would you consider it?"

The air was heavy with an awkward silence, as she thought the question over, "...no, I don't think your intentions are in the right place",

Alucard frowned softly "I will prove it to you then" he muttered cryptically before silently before phasing through a nearby wall and out of sight, Victoria jumped off the chair and begun kicking the wall angrily, "Prove what?!" She screeched angrily. However after several minutes she concluded her tantrum and was left, along with everyone else in the manor, alone.

* * *

sorry the fight scenes are more suggested rather than fully written out, but I figured everyone as already seen the scenes you don't really need to read about them. I've heard rewriting scenes somewhat annoys people, and is a somewhat pain for me to write, let me know if this bothers you though, and i'll include them.


	18. Chapter 18 - A common love for canines

sorry if the grammars bad in this one or there are spelling mistakes, but the website I usually use for this was down for some reason ugh

anyway, hope you enjoy a life in the day of Victoria Stein ;)

* * *

Seras slowly lifted the glass to her lips and tilted it forward slightly, however as soon as the liquid came close to her lips she quickly pulled it away and slammed it down on the table. "I can't...I can't" she repeated sadly.

"No, no, no. That time was better, your getting better!" Victoria encouraged offering her the glass again,

"I can't" Seras repeated shaking her head and pushing the glass away,

"Why? Is it the look? The taste? The smell?" Victoria supplied, "what is it about blood you hate?"

"I don't it's...everything" Seras sighed eyeing the crimson liquid,

"Hmm ok.. well what was your favorite drink when you were human?" Victoria asked.

"Well... It was probably energy drink" she noted,

"You needing energy drinks? I can't imagine that" the artist snickered, "anyway I have an Idea.." She trailed off before shuffling through her suitcase and pulling out a four pack of cans. Climbing back on the bed she cracked the can and chugged most of the contents in under a minute, swirling the rest of the can she heard the remaining liquid swish around. Grabbing the glass of blood she carefully poured it into the can and shook the contents together before handing it to the vampire.

"What psychology technique is this?" Seras asked staring at the can unsurely,

Victoria shrugged, "I dunno, I flunked out" she laughed, "but I do this when I have to take liquid medicines I hate". Nodding softy the fledgling lifted the can to her lips and took a small sip, her face twisted to a disgruntled expression and she licked her lips. "How was it?" Victoria asked eagerly,

"Way better, but the idea still bothers me.." Seras replied softly.

"But it tastes better?" She asked,

"Hmm... Yeah, I suppose I might be able to drink it now, thank you" the fledgling replied swishing the contents of the can thoughtfully.

"Anytime, glad I could help" Victoria smiled, "if you need anymore let me know ok?"

Seras nodded softly and took another sip from the can, before either women could get a word out Victoria's pager went off loudly. Looking at the summons she saw it was to the medical ward, "shit" she cursed, "I have to go, feel free to stay here and finish your drink" the artist offered before dashing out the door.

XxX

Bursting through the door she looked around the room frantically, eventually seeing several of the geese crowded around a bed. "What happened?" She asked frantically pulling on latex gloves, her question was accompanied by a round of laughter and the man in the bed had a sheepish look. Giving the men a questioning look Victoria walked over to see a small pool of blood forming around the mans left foot and seeping through his boot, "how?.." She trailed off before unlacing the shoe.

"He shot himself in the foot" Kane replied simply,

holding back laughter Victoria finally saw the clean hole going through the mans foot, "oh ...literally" she replied amused.

"Please don't tell Integra" he begged gritting his teeth in pain while she pulled the thick sock off,

"Well your going to be off your feet for a few weeks, so you'll have to explain to her why" Victoria chided, "as for everyone else, out" she commanded.

"we want to see him cry!" Pip protested while the geese proceeded to burst into a fit of laughter,

"Well if you don't get out I'll make you cry" Victoria threatened holding up a scalpel.

Pip eyed the tool worriedly and groaned, "you 'erd her boys,

"Come on she's a woman what can she do?" One of the men protested.

The leader tisked and shook his head, "don't be stupid, women can do more than you think" he advised rendering the men awkwardly silent. "Now let's go finish zhat game" he remarked cheerfully leading them out the door and too the barracks.

"Uh your not going to use that on me are you?" The man asked nervously,

Staring at the knife she threw it onto the counter, "nah probably not" she shrugged. "Anyway, why did you shoot yourself?" She asked examining the wound,

"Ah...well...I was at the range and as I was pulling the gun out from the holster, it turned out the safety was off..." He trailed off gruffly.

"I see.." She snorted, "well it seems it's passed through so I just have to stitch it up" she said cheerfully retrieving the supplies from the cupboard.

"Uh.. Is that like.. Necessary?" He paled eyeing the needle,

"Don't tell me your scared of needles? You'll be getting general anesthetic" she muttered drawing the liquid from the vial into the needle.

"Nah actually I'll be fine, thanks though" he blurted attempting to climb off the bed,

"It'll be pretty hard to hide it from Integra if your trailing blood all over the house" Victoria replied pointing to the now bleeding wound unamused. Groaning the man reluctantly climbed onto the bed and motioned for her to continue while he stared at the needle worriedly.

"It's worse if you look" she reminded, "try to take your mind off it",

"Uh alright, uhh so how long have you been working here?" He asked frantically looking at the ceiling,

"Your going to feel a pinch and a burning" she informed, "and about as long as you, although I was originally hired to do a portrait".

"Wait what!? Are you qualified?!" He panicked,

Frowning she pulled the needle out and threw it into the bin, "of course! I was in the military medical corps" she replied insulted.

"ok, ok, sorry" he apologized anxiously, "what happened to the other medic? There were two I heard?"

"He died in the attack" she replied casually, "they lost everyone but nine people",

"Holy shit" he muttered, "but that won't happen to us right?"

"Hmm probably not" Victoria replied thoughtfully while cleaning the wound, "it was most likely a one off thing",

"God I hope so" he sighed before glancing down to see the needle piercing his flesh, "oh god I'm gonna spew" he paled.

"I told you not to look!" Victoria barked, "don't throw up or I will too" she threatened, "relax".

Taking in several deep breaths he managed to calm down, "alright, alright. I'm better now" he replied, "my names Heath by the way, your Victoria?"

She nodded and snickered, "yeah im the one that took your money",

"Pip talks about you a lot, and Seras, he doesn't shut up about Seras" Heath recalled bitterly.

This caught the medics interest and she smirked, "oh really? What does he say about her?"

"Ugh anything and everything, he'll find any excuse" the mercenary huffed, "he's obsessed",

"That's cute" she replied half heartily, 'I have to tell her' she noted. "And we are done" she remarked cheerfully tying the last stitch.

"What that's it?" Heath replied in disbelief,

"Yep, just need to bandage it" Victoria replied wrapping the appendage in a thick cotton bandage with padding. "You'll need this changed every two days, and try not to get it wet" she instructed, "oh and you'll need crutches for a week at least" she noted running to the closet to retrieve them.

"Thanks" he replied sincerely,

Handing him the crutches and painkillers she smiled, "no problem, page me if you need anything".

"I will thanks" he replied awkwardly, "well I'll see ya around",

"You too" she replied cleaning up the mess and shortly after hearing the door click shut.

XxX

Collapsing onto her bed she felt her whole body ache, 'why do I feel so weak' she thought irritably, raising her tired arm to the nightstand she pulled her phone upto her face and saw several messages on the screen. 'Crap I forget to tell Alex I moved' she cursed. Putting on her glasses she opened the message she felt a pang of guilt,

Alex: were r u? I went to ur apartment today and someone else lives there now?

Alex: ur landlord yelled at me to

Alex: r u ignoring me ;(

Alex *:(

Alex: did I do something wrong?

Victoria frowned and sighed, it had been just over a day since she last checked her phone, completely wrapped up in her new life. Trying to find the right words to explain everything she replied,

Victoria: of course not! You've done nothing wrong, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you I moved, it happened so quickly

Victoria: I'm a live in maid now, my last client hired me

She felt bad for lying but Integra made it very clear no one could know about her new job and identity, 'its better for Alex if she doesn't know anyway, I don't want her worrying' she thought sadly.

Victoria: I feel really bad, I wasn't ignoring you, live just been super busy

Alex:... R u lying

Victoria: not I'm 100% legit, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier :(

Alex: I don't believe you

Victoria: why would I lie?

Alex: idk maybe u hate me now..

Victoria: we've been best friends since high school, and we still are now, I understand if your upset, but I promise I'm not lying. I legitimately forget to mention it, it happened so fast,

Alex: :/ I dont know how u just forget to tell someone that, ur too busy with Seras aren't u

Victoria: no! You'll always be my BEST friend, it's just lonely here

Alex: hmm... Ok, I have work tonight n tomorow but do u wanna meet 2 talk about it ?

Victoria: yeah I'd love too! Text me the details later?

Alex: ye, ttyl

Victoria: bye

Sighing she threw her phone onto the bedside table and buried her head into her hands, feeling even more guilty than before, 'she probably thinks I've forgotten about her' she thought dimly.

"Quite the dilemma" a voice beside her commented,

"Holy shit!" Victoria shrieked jumping away from the man, "Alucard!" She growled. "When did you get there?! How much did you read?!" She asked anxiously,

"Enough to know that you play favorites" he said amused.

"Oh and like you don't" Victoria huffed,

"Of course I do" he replied softly playing with a strand of the woman's long dark hair, she made a puzzled expression not knowing what he meant but she didn't care enough to ask.

"Please don't tell Seras, she's still my friend... But I've know Alex for years and-" she explained frantically,

"No need to explain" he cut her off, "its common to value old relationships over new ones" he commented idly.

Still puzzled by his comments she moved the subject, "why are you here?"

"I came to check on you" he replied shortly, as if he felt she was asking a question with an obvious answer.

"Well I'm fine, so you can leave" Victoria huffed,

Alucard frowned "Your lying" he said irritably, "don't lie to me".

The woman looked into his red eyes with her tired ones, "listen red, I'm too tired to do this right now, so if you could just kindly leave, that would be fantastic",

"No" he replied simply.

"Then I'll leave" she sighed standing up from the bed before being pulled back down, "oh my god just tell me what you want to and go" she hissed,

"There is nothing in particular I want to say" Alucard confessed.

"Then what? Are you just here to chat?" Victoria barked sarcastically,

Alucard nodded softly "Yes",

"Then talk to Seras?" She questioned.

"I'd rather talk to you" he replied stiffly "you said in your messages your were lonely",

"those were private!" she barked feeling her face burn.

"you shouldn't keep secrets" the vampire remarked slyly,

Victoria sighed and ran a hand through her hair "If we talk will you leave?"

"most likely" Alucard replied,

"Well I have questions so I guess we both get something then" she muttered. "First of all, who's Abraham Hellsing? And what did he do? Also who's Dracula, I've heard that before somewhere" she listed off.

"Abraham Hellsing was a vampire hunter during the eighteen-hundreds, and is Integra's relative" Alucard explained patiently, "Dracula is one of the many names I went by, Hellsing captured me to which I remain imprisoned today" he huffed bitterly.

"I read in a journal in the library that he starved you.." She trailed off,

"Does that bother you?" He asked gruffly,

"Well..yeah! Of course, it's inhumane and cruel" she exclaimed angrily. "Why didn't you escape?"

"I was weak, and he would surely track me down, starving is not the worst thing he did.." The vampire recalled absently, "enough of that" he commanded, "what else?"

Sensing she had touched a nerve she wanted to change the subject despite how badly she wanted to know more. "Ah well in the journal, it said that the vampire and human kind of, fight to control the body... But they can occasionally live in harmony, is that true?"

"I've heard of it, but never seen it" he replied thoughtfully, "it seems unlikely to happen in your case".

"Oh" she replied meekly, "I was hoping I wouldn't end up like the man in the journal.." She trailed off,

"You won't" Alucard replied simply half laying on the bed his head against the board,

"Oi who said you could do that?!" She barked,

The vampire ignored her outburst and patted the spot beside him "Come here, it's more comfortable".

"...Any other day I wouldn't, but my backs sore" she huffed lying on the bed with her head and neck resting against the headboard in a similar fashion.

"Excuses" the vampire tisked,

"I will push you off" she threatened.

"I don't think you will" he challenged,

Victoria sighed and looked at her socked feet embarrassed, "any other day red, any other day..."

"I'm sure" he laughed softly before picking up the phone laying beside her, "your one is much nicer than mine" he complained turning it on.

"Let's see it" Victoria demanded shuffling closer, the vampire pulled out the item from one of his many pockets and placed it in her outstretched hand. Looking at the item she flipped it open and begun laughing uncontrollably, "oh my god it's so small!" She giggled comparing it to her own.

"Haven't heard that before" Alucard scowled,

Ignoring his comment she continued laughing "And so old! Sir Integra really skimmed the bottom of the barrel with this one!" She snickered, "this is a disposable phone, for drug dealers".

"Disposable?" He asked,

"Yeah it's meant to be hard to track, so drug dealers use them" she explained turning it on. "Oh my god and you still have the default screensaver!" She howled with laughter.

"Well change it!" He growled,

"To what?" She snickered, "oh wait I've got it" she decided, "you'll get it back in a couple hours" she said slyly.

"Why should I trust you?" He smirked,

"No it'll be funny" she protested, "just trust me okay?"

Alucard nodded softly, "fine"

"Good" she smiled placing the item in her pocket. Meanwhile the vampire was staring at her screen curiously, "what is it?" She asked leaning over to see what he was looking at. "Oh that's my dog" she replied softly,

"He's your screensaver?" He asked curiously.

"he died awhile ago, I haven't been able to have another dog since, I really miss him..." She confessed, "At least I get to see him everyday..." She mumbled.

"You like dogs?" Alucard asked,

"Love them" she replied, Alucard nodded softly an idea coming to mind how he could win her favor. Victoria gently took the phone from his hand and put it back onto the charger before removing her glasses and placing them on the nightstand.

"I wasn't aware you needed glasses" he commented,

"yeah well my eyes aren't good with small detail, it takes the strain off I guess" she shrugged, "its one of the many medical problems I inherited".

"like what?" Alucard asked,

"well lets see, I have the beginnings of arthritis, several vitamin deficiencies, shitty eyesight oh and there's the possibility of me getting dementia, so that's fun" she listed off bitterly.

"sounds like growing old would be a pain" he remarked suggestively,

"yeah I know, its times like this I consi-" Victoria cut herself and shook her head softly.

"what?" the vampire pressed,

"no never mind" she dismissed.

"tell me" he demanded,

"nah" she replied simply, sensing he would get no where continuing this argument he scowled and sunk further into the large pillows. Several minutes of silence later and Victoria yawned, "I'm going to take a nap, out please" she asked crawling under the sheets.

Frowning he refused to move, "why?"

"Because it creepy watching people sleep" she replied obviously,

"Not always" Alucard remarked shortly.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Victoria yawned, pulling the covers up around her "a coffin that lacks a vampire perhaps?"

"It's the evening, I will be awake until six" he explained,

"Oh my god" Victoria groaned rolling over and retrieved the remote from the bed side table before turning it on and throwing it into his lap, "I'm way to tired to argue, just watch tv or something". Alucard grunted a reply before settling down into the pillows and flicking through the channels, several minutes later he sensed Victoria fall into a deep sleep.

XxX

Alucard's eyes were glued to the screen before he heard the shuffling beside him, looking over he saw Victoria stir, and several minutes later she became fully awake letting out a small shriek and falling out of bed. After several seconds on the floor recovering her breath she stood up and clutched her chest tightly, "sorry I'm not used the guy being there when I wake up" she panted. However she was met with a cold stare and frowned, "joking red, joking",

"How did you sleep?" He asked his eyes traveling around her disheveled form. Laughing she attempted to tame her wild hair, "for the first time in ages...fantastic actually" she replied cheerfully, "no nightmares or anything".

"That is good to hear" he replied simply before climbing off the bed, "I've been summoned" he complained, "I will see you later" he stated before pulling his coat, hat and shoes back on and walking out of the room. He was met with Walter in the hallway who gave the vampire a unusual look,

"You were in there for awhile" he remarked surprisingly.

"the better rest was hers" Alucard complained,

Walters eyes widened, "...what did you do" He trailed off suspiciously.

"So quick to come to conclusions" Alucard said slyly, Walter was about to protest when the door behind them opened.

"Oh hey red" she yawned, "Walter glad your here, I'm eating dinner tonight" she announced, however after several seconds of awkward silence she frowned, "what?" She demanded. Looking in the mirror on the adjacent wall she blushed, "thought I fixed that" she muttered attempting to flatten her wild hair. The butler meanwhile gave cold glances to the vampire who was grinning eerily, "better?" The woman asked the two men,

"I preferred it before" Alucard purred. Causing Walter to frown and became increasingly more uncomfortable,

"I will go prepare dinner, how would you like your beef?" He asked the woman.

"hmmm...Rare as you can possibly make it thanks" she requested, the butler nodded and quickly rushed off eager to leave the situation.

XxX

Victoria placed the fork back on her plate gently and licked her bloody lips, "that was amazing!" She sighed happily. Standing up from the small table she was eager to find Seras and see how she went with the earlier drink, figuring she would defiantly be awake by now, the artist headed towards the basement where she knew her room to be. Carefully walking down the dark stone staircase she could barely see her hand infront of her face, that was untill she reached the dimly lit hallway."Seras!" Victoria called, "Seras where are you?" She muttered walking around the basement, looking at her phones clock she frowned, "maybe she went back to bed". In the dim light she saw something walk towards her and she struggled to make out what it was until it was mere feet away, a large dog with a medium length black coat. "A dog!" The squeaked happily sitting on the floor infront of the animal petting it happily, "where did you come from huh?" She cooed scratching the animals ear. In response it made a unusual purring noise and licked her hand, causing her to giggle and pet the animals head. "Integra never told me she had a dog.." She trailed off thoughtfully, however before she could consider it too long, the dog licked her cheek and wagged it's tail happily. Victoria smiled genuinely for the first time in ages and was content with sitting on the floor and playing with the animal for several minutes before she remembered her purpose, "have you seen Seras?" She asked the dog hopefully. It huffed and stopped wagging it's tail, "no?" She supplied, "alright... I'll give up for now, she's probably out anyway" Victoria sighed. Standing up she brushed off her clothes and looked down at the dog, "a basements no place for a dog" she muttered, "come on boy!" She sung encouraging the dog to follow. In response it let out soft bark and eagerly followed the woman up the stairs, looking down at the dog she immediately went back down to continuously pat and scratch the animal, "your so cute!" She squeaked. After several more continuous minutes of the woman coddling the animal she yawned and stood up tiredly, "where's your bed?" She asked the dog, to which he stared at her blankly. "Bed?" She repeated, again the animal remained motionless, sighing she let a mischievous smile creep onto her face. "Integra won't care if you sleep on my bed will she?" Victoria wondered aloud before checking the hallways for anyone, "want to come with me?" She whispered. The dog wagged it's tail and followed close behind her, after several minutes the pair reached her room and while she got changed the dog made itself comfortable on her bed. Climbing into bed she flicked the tv on while simoustainously petting the dog beside her, an hour later and her eyes drew heavy and she turned it off. Climbing under the sheets she noticed the dog attempting to lift the sheets with it's snout, laughing she lifted up the fabric enabling the dog to crawl underneath them. "Goodnight" she yawned before turning off the light, blanketing the room in pitch darkness.

XxX

Alucard awoke and carefully removed Victoria's arm that was loosely lain across his form, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Victoria's still sleeping form beside him, yawning he carefully climbed out of the bed pulled the sheets back over her cold body. Looking out the large window he saw the sun peaking over the hills, a sight he was unfamiliar to seeing. The vampire was surprised to say the least when she invited him to sleep with her, 'however it wasn't actually me' he thought frowning, thinking that if he wasn't in the form the outcome would've be different. Looking over once more he saw Victoria laying on her side, her arm outstretched where he laid earlier. Knowing she would be asleep for several more hours at least he contemplated on whether he could get away with returning to the bed, but eventually decided against it, knowing the consequences of being caught were worse than the reward. Sighing he quietly walked out of the cold room and shut the door behind him, returning to his lonely room in the dungeon. Hours later and Victoria begun to stir, the first thing she noticed was the absence of the dog, frowning she thought little of it prepared for the day.

XxX

Walking down the hall Victoria spotted Seras lugging several large cases, "Seras!" She called gaining the woman's attention.

"Oh uh hey Victoria!" She called back attempting to balance the stack of cases on one another, rushing over the artist offered her help and was handed several cases.

"Aren't you supposed to be like super strong?" Victoria joked at feeling the light weight of the cases,

"Ah yeah, but they are just awkward to carry I guess" she laughed. Nodding Victoria followed Seras down several halls until they reached the desired room where the pair dumped the cases onto the table.

"I was looking for you last night" Victoria recalled, "where were you?"

"Oh Integra had me patrolling with some of the geese last night" she paled,

Suddenly a wide eery grin split Victoria's face, "speaking of the geese... I know who likes you~!" She taunted childishly.

Immediately Seras face turned a dark red, "who?" She asked quietly,

"I'm not telling~" the artist sung.

"Oh come on Victoria" she sighed, "just tell me, please?" The fledgling begged,

"Hmmm nah, maybe later, I have to talk to him first" she explained snickering, "see if he's right for you".

Seras sighed in defeat "alright but will you after that?"

"hmmm, maybe~" she sung,

"you better" she threatened, "and your in a really good mood today" the blonde observed.

"I slept amazingly last night, which was a nice change" she shrugged, "oh, and there was this dog.." she recalled, "oh! the dog! have you seen a dog around here? like black coat, about this big" she described gesturing its height with her hands.

"dog? there's no dog here" she replied thoughtfully, "unless.. oh no"

Victoria frowned, "oh no? oh no what?"

"well master can do this thing, where he well... kinda... shape-shifts into a...dog" she explained reluctantly,

"oh my god!" Victoria screeched, "how dare he?!" she growled, "so embarrassing" she huffed.

"embarrassing? we've all been tricked by it before, please don't get too mad at him" Seras reasoned,

"oh my god I let him sleep in my bed!" she huffed angrily ignoring the blondes comment.

The fledgling's face reddened and she frowned, "oh uh, well he's in his room, so maybe talk to him?"

"oh you bet I will" she huffed, "but before that I gotta do something, come'ere" she muttered pulling out the vampires phone from her pocket.

XxX

Knocking on the large metal door she waited several seconds for a reply, but heard none, scowling she pushed open the door and from the weak light provided she saw the vampire sitting in the chair boredly.

"come to visit me dear?" he called condescendingly,

"you wish" Victoria snorted, "I came to yell at you".

"Its nice to see you have hobbies" Alucard sighed,

"you embarrassed me! I called you cute! I let you sleep in my bed!" she listed off angrily.

"you invited me in there" he reminded,

"because I thought you were a dog!" she growled.

Alucard's face split into a toothy grin "convincing wasn't I?"

"well ya fooled me!" Victoria huffed, "why would you trick me that way red?" she sighed hurt in her voice,

"I was intending for it to be a nice gesture, Im not sure why you're upset" he commented genuinely confused.

"because I don't like being tricked! And it was embarrassing!" the artist yelled, but felt the anger she once had leave her system, "wait.. was this because I said I missed my dog?"

Sighing the vampire stood up from his throne and calmly walked over to the confused woman, "yes" he replied simply,

"so you did something nice, without being ordered?" Victoria asked.

"indeed, it was of my own intent. However it seems it didn't have the effect I was planning" he muttered,

she frowned and felt guilty for getting upset at the man for something he did to cheer her up, "no...I just..don't like being tricked" she sighed, "it was nice, I had fun".

"your upset" he noted,

"well yeah, because I thought it was a mean trick you were playing, but I know that it wasn't now, so im sorry I guess.." she trailed off feeling her cheeks redden again,

"likewise" Alucard replied.

"just let me know next time okay?" Victoria sighed,

he smirked and laughed softly, "next time?"

"yeah well, like I said it was nice.." she trailed off feeling her whole face turn red and was thankful that the darkness hid the blush.

"i'll be sure to give you notice" he stated,

she avoided eye contact and nodded awkwardly before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the vampire's phone, "this is yours" she stated handing him the device.

observing the object in his hand he frowned, "it looks the same",

"open it dingus" she laughed. Alucard looked at her skeptically before opening the device, the digital screen illuminating the area around them. "well what do you think?" she asked hopefully. The background consisted of and image of Seras and Victoria standing next to each other while the blonde stuck out her tongue and Victoria held her middle finger up to the camera playfully,

"you've captured your personality well" he remarked amused.

"glad you like it" Victoria beamed,

The vampire smirked "never said I liked it"

the woman shook her head and snickered "ah but I know you do" she replied. "Anyway i'll see ya around red" she called walking out dungeon room carelessly and slamming the door behind her. leaving the man to wonder if she was actually still upset or not, looking the screensaver a final time he laughed softly before placing the item back into his pocket, noting that he should extra care not to break his phone this time.


	19. Chapter 19 - Monsters have feelings too

_**A very important notice to all my lovely readers~**_

_**There is going to be another rewrite! yes I know, another one, I hate myself for it too. Nothing too major and it won't interfere with the next update date, just wanted to let you know encase you spot any changes and think "what the fuck? when did this get here?". I say rewrite but its more a case of maintenance I guess, im just going through and fixing somethings. But I want to thank everyone for being so patient with updates and maintenance and such, really you guys are rad.**_

_Thanks for reading, please enjoy!_

_ Kida Tatsuhime, Jackiemaejohnson, lilwicca1989 : Glad all of you love the story so far! thanks for reading and reviewing :3_

* * *

Walking down the familiar dark hallway Victoria glanced at the paintings who's wide blank eyes noticeably stated back. The peeling wallpaper curled down the wall in large strips and where the rotting wood should be exposed the space was fills with eerie darkness that seemed to go on forever. The constant scuttling that ran up and down the halls, was now much louder and was accompanied by unsettling hushed whispers, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, drowning out the woman's thoughts. Even her heeled boots made no noise as they connected with the rotting floorboards. Looking into the distance she saw the room quickly approaching and fastened her pace to escape the claustrophobic hallway. As she reached the small firelight room the woman looked back to see saw the door completely shrouded in darkness. Finally stepping into the room the scuttling and whispering sounds stopped but the usual fire lighting the way was much dimmer and cast long eerie shadows on every surface. Victoria timidly walked up to the chair where Katja sat, an un-amused expression adorning her face,

"Why am I here again" the artist demanded.

"Always so rude" Katja commented idly her mind seemingly elsewhere, "you never ask how I am",

"Am I supposed to?" Victoria retorted irritably,

Ignoring her comment the woman's stoic face twitched, "I should be asking you why you're here" she sighed.

"Wait.." Victoria trailed off suspiciously, "you mean you didn't bring me here?"

"No I wasn't planning to for another few days" Katja huffed, "however since your here.." She trailed off thoughtfully.

"Wait, why is it such a dump now?" Victoria cut her off looking around the spider webbed and dust covered room. "And whats with the whispering, and hall and-"

"Your asking questions you should know the answer to" Katja cut her off, glancing at the dimming fire she grinned eerily her long white teeth illuminated by the light. "...It seems your running out of time".

"Out of time? For what?!" Victoria asked cautiously, already knowing the answer,

"Your body is getting weaker, walking up stairs shouldn't exhaust you, your hands can barely hold a pencil most days" the vampire taunted. "We both read that diary entry, surely you know what happens when your body gives up on you",

The artist looked to the dying fire and bit her lip, feeling her throat tighten she clenched her fists and tried to stabilize her voice, refusing to show weakness. "I won't let you" she snarled, "you won't take over".

"Ah that's where your wrong" she giggled, "see, unfortunately for you, and fortunately for me...you don't have a choice" Katja remarked cheerfully her crimson eyes glowing from the shadows where she sat.

"No I'm strong...you won't.." Victoria growled in denial,

"No, your mind is strong, but your body will always be weak!" She taunted, "once your mind breaks, your all mine".

"They'll help me" the artist murmured, "Alucard and Seras can help",

"Funny you should bring him up" Katja sneered, "you've gotten very close haven't you? Hmm?"

"No.." She replied uncertainly,

"I can't read your mind in here but I still know your lying" the vampire snickered pointing a clawed finger at the woman. "Two months is rather short to form a relationship hmm? Oh! And speaking of which... Who's laying in bed next to you right now?"

"It's not like that... We were watching a movie... I fell asleep" Victoria rambled trying to explain the situation, "I'm not trying to steal him from you!"

Katja's constant snickering turned to a loud barking laugh that continued for several minutes, "oh no, you can have him~ your not stealing anyone!" She sung still giggling and laughing.

"He only tolerates me because of you" Victoria choked out feeling her eyes burn, Immediately the vampire stopped laughing and looked at her with what resembled sympathy. "When did you become so mean! I thought at least you could understand!" Victoria barked, glaring at Katja intently, "I didn't ask for this!".

The vampire moved to stand up but stopped when the wound on her stomach sent a burning pain though her body before slowly leaking blood again. She placed a thin clawed hand on her abdomen before lifting it to the low light to examine it, "at least he didn't cost you your life" she sighed. "He only cares for himself, what he wants with you isn't because of who you are".

Victoria knew this all along but it hurt to hear it aloud, "yeah" she replied sadly, "yeah I know",

"Do you? Your feelings for him will never be returned, he will always hold me in his heart" Katja whispered staring at the woman with narrowed eyes.

"It's not serious, I'll get over it" Victoria reassured herself,

"you better, for your own sake" Katja stated coldly still glaring at her.

Victoria paled realizing that she was venting to the wrong person about this issue, a deep red tinged her cheeks and she lowered her head in shame. "Sorry, I don't have any right to complain" Victoria sighed, "I'm sorry",

"Im aware, I understand your pain however" the vampire replied coldly avoiding the woman's eyes. Shortly after there was an awkward silence as both woman became embarrassed with the previous conversation. The silence was broken with a deep shuddering exhale from Victoria,

"It's a shame your in this situation, I think we could have been Friends" Victoria confessed,

Katja smiled softly and felt a lonely pang in her chest, "in another life Victoria, in another life".

Victoria nodded and returned the woman's kind smile, "I'm going now, I'm sure we'll see each other again" she commented grimly.

"Yes, I will see you later" Katja replied, the women gave each other a final look of dismay knowing the next time they met it could be their last. The vampire watched Victoria walk down the dark hallway and was once again left alone.

XxX

Victoria shot up from her bed covered in a thin veil of clammy sweat, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and held her head in her hands. The meeting came flooding back to her and she felt a tear fall from her eye, shortly after it became a steady stream that ran down her flushed cheeks and mixed with the blood on her lip. Careful not to let out a sound she dug her teeth further in her already sore lip causing a soft wince to escape, shortly after from beside her she heard the sheets shuffle. Alucard sat up awkwardly and looked at the woman with a resemblance of worry on his face,"What's wrong Victoria?" He asked gruffly,

"Nothing...i'm allergic to mornings " she sniffed attempting to wipe the tears away,

"Why are you crying?" He asked again persistent for an answer. "Is it because you didn't see the end of the movie? The dog didn't die" he explained thinking it would help the situation.

Victoria let out a choked laugh while still wiping away the tears with her sleeve, "nah, it was a shit movie anyway".

"Tell me" he asked softly, his tone different from his normal demanding one,

Victoria hesitated and dabbed at her bloody lip with her sleeve, "It's Katja, we spoke again" she sniffed.

Suddenly the vampire's calm tone changed back it's normal demanding one, "What did she say?"

The woman recalled Katja's advice not to trust him, how he only wanted his best interests. "Why are you awake? You never wake up during the day" she asked looking at the clock stating it was in fact midday.

"I heard you cry" he replied shortly,

"You smelt blood" she stated turning around to show the cut in her lip.

"That too" he confessed eyeing the wound, "what did she say?"

Victoria noticed his fixed glaze and quickly licked the blood away, "do you care?" She asked feeling her cheeks flush further.

"About what?" He asked curiously,

"Me" she snorted.

"Ah" he realized, "of course",

"Yeah okay so why?" Victoria demanded,

Alucard looked at her lazily his tired red eyes meeting her dark ones, "You need reasons?"

"I need to know if I can trust you" she remarked snidely.

The corners of the vampires mouth twitched and he frowned softly "You don't already?"

Victoria shook her head "...not always..." She confessed "So why do you care about me?" Again the vampire remained silent and doubts filled Victoria's mind. "Me or Katja" she huffed. After several seconds of silence she wondered if he had left since he favored disappearing through walls to avoid conflict, however suddenly cool fingers ran over the wounds on her exposed shoulder and neck causing the woman to twitch,

"they are healing well" Alucard commented absently still examining the scars. While the cool touch felt nice on the usually burning wounds, Victoria leaned away from his touch and scowled,

"me or Katja" she asked again in a more demanding tone.

"You" he stated irritably, growing frustrated with the questioning.

"Are you lying?" She asked suspiciously,

The vampire stood up from the bed suddenly and looked down at her threateningly signalling her to stop questioning "...no"

Victoria stood up trying to even the height between them, "You hesitated" she stated coldly.

"I just woke up" he reminded,

The artist scowled and crossed her arms "Reasons?" she demanded.

"reasons are invalid in a relationship" the vampire explained seriously, and if it wasn't for the look on his face Victoria would have thought he was joking.

"we aren't dating" she huffed,

A puzzled look crossed the mans face as if he couldn't register the words, "Tell me" he demanded again.

Victoria turned away from him and huffed "I forgot",

"You lied" he stated coldly "there shouldn't be lies".

"Says you" she barked defensively,

"Go back to sleep" he commanded absently trying to change the subject.

"I don't want to" she hissed glaring at him angrily,

"Why?" Alucard asked dryly, ignoring her attitude.

Victoria looked away from him and fell onto the bed in a huff "I don't want to see her again" she admitted. "You need to go now, I've got to get ready".

Alucard remained silent, his mouth in a thin line and a blank look on his face, "what did she say",

There was a heavy silence and Victoria let out a shuttering breath figuring he would find out eventually. "My times almost up, she knows I'm getting weaker",

"Your afraid then" Alucard stated more than asked,

"Well wouldn't you be?" She snapped at him, but was returned with a blank look, "...nevermind" she muttered. Slowly standing up from the warm bed, the cold bit into her skin and she cursed the weather, "seriously I'm going to shower, out please" she sniffed wrapping her arms around her shivering form.

"Again?" Alucard asked blandly, "I hate the soap you use" he stated simply,

"Wait what?" She huffed whipping around to glare at him, "what's wrong with it?"

"It's too strong, your natural scent is better" he stated casually staring at her tiredly,

"I'm uhh... I'm pretending you never said that" she sighed walking into the bathroom. Yawning she begun to fill the sink with warm water before dipping her cold hands into the liquid and splashing it onto her face. Rubbing the water out of her eyes, she looked up into the mirror a figure stood behind her, shrieking she whipped out and glared at the man coldly.

"Alucard!" She growled wiping the rest of the water off her face, "get out!"

"Why?" He asked somewhat surprised,

Victoria scowled and looked up at him with a glare "Because I'm in here!" She argued.

"Share a bed but not a bathroom?" Alucard teased, "How unusual"

The woman sighed and continued toweling off her face "I don't have time for this I already overslept, go back to your coffin or whatever" she waved dismissively.

"Perhaps I would be more willing if you came with me" he stated suggestively,

"I'd rather not play dead" Victoria replied coolly.

"You will one day" Alucard stated with a Cheshire grin splitting his pale face,

Victoria eyed the sharp teeth that seemed almost too big, "Ah but will I really?" she replied in a doubtful tone.

"Can't we have a normal conversation?" he asked somewhat annoyed by her attitude,

She snorted and rolled her eyes "Hard to define normal around here"

"Your avoiding the question" the vampire stated gruffly.

"Well it's hard to talk when your doing this!" She waved her arms around gesturing to him invading her space. "And whats a normal topic even?!"

"Tell me about your dream, humans do that yes?" Alucard asked,

"I already told you... And don't tell anyone I cried!" She demanded feeling her cheeks flush.

The corners of the vampires mouth twitched and he nodded softly "My lips are sealed",

"Except for when they talk" she muttered bitterly.

His eerie grin turned to a scowl within seconds, "I'm getting tired of your attitude" Alucard commented suddenly staring down at the woman irritably. "It's not amusing anymore"

"It once was? Don't you think it's a bit fucking weird someone would find that amusing?" She barked,

The vampire snarled and his face twisted in anger, he slowly closed the distance between them pushing Victoria back into the sink "Your lucky I've been so forgiving, others haven't been so fortunate".

She shrunk back and felt the porcelain digging into her back, the lights above her flickered and the shadows on the walls seemed to darken and elongate. His eyes turned to a furious burning red, and his hair grew long and wild taking on the form of shadows. Victoria tried to avoid his angry glare knowing she made a mistake however at seeing her avoid his stare Alucard reached out and sharply moved her head to face him, "look at me while I'm talking to you" he snarled exposing his pointed canines. Hearing her heart rate increase and watching her uncomfortably writhe would normally give him great pleasure, but inside he felt something resembling guilt. Just as he planned to move away Victoria swatted away his hand and stared at him coldly,

"first Katja, Seras then Me? Is there anyone you won't bully? Your a monster!" she yelled sternly refusing to let fear show, but even the words coming out from her mouth felt foreign to her, as if it was something she'd never say. Alucard's eyes widened and he moved away from her slowly, his fiery red eyes dulling to their normal rich crimson. Victoria hung her head in shame as Alucard looked down at her with a bitter look "I get that a lot, however i'd never have thought from you" he muttered glancing to the woman who looked at the tiled floor guiltily. Both knew that mistakes were made in those short minutes, and both were waiting for the other to apologize. After several awkward minutes Victoria stormed out of the bathroom and bedroom, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

XxX

"What do you have to report?" Integra asked coolly her gloved fingers drumming on the desk calmly,

"she met with Katja again, she was informed her time is almost up" Alucard stated gruffly, not in the mood to have a conversation about Victoria.

"What does that mean" the woman demanded,

"Katja knows she's growing weak, she will return soon" he explained grimly.

Integra noticed his displeasure and frowned, "surely I thought you'd be happy? Meeting that woman again?"

"Surely you'd be more pleased, Millennium could attack any day now" Alucard commentary absently his mind seemingly elsewhere,

Integra furrowed her brows and crushed the cigar into the tray nearby "I'm not sure what your implying".

"Your still using her as a weapon" he stated plainly,

Integra bit her lip and sighed heavily "...yes" she replied hesitantly.

"What about after?" The vampire demanded suddenly,

"After?" Integra asked unsurely,

"When we win" Alucard asked anxiously.

Integra composed herself and looked at the man firmly, "She'll be destroyed, we can't have a reckless powerful vampire roaming around".

Alucard scowled and avoided her stern look "I see" he hissed,

"She's too dangerous to keep around, it's better for everyone. She read the journal, she knows what happens" the woman tried to justify the cruel actions.

Alucard ignored her ramblings and looked at her irritably "Victoria" he corrected,

"Excuse you?" She asked awkwardly not understanding his interjection.

"Not she, her name is Victoria" Alucard reminded, "she's not a tool no matter how much you believe she is",

Integra sighed and rubbed her temples trying to soothe the growing headache, "don't get attached vampire, she's here for a purpose don't forget that" the blonde reminded, "Dismissed" she sighed motioning for him to leave.

XxX

Victoria walked into the barracks and several men looked up from the TV and groaned, "ugh not again! We just got our paychecks" Kane huffed. Victoria laughed and looked at him with a tired smile,

"Nah, I don't feel like poker today, I'm looking for Pip",

"Pip?" One of the geese responded, "why? what did he do now?"

"No... he's not in trouble, I need to talk to him" she explained causing several of the men to exchange glances and snicker,

"Alright, he's outside" they replied pointing to the door.

She eyed them suspiciously and cautiously opened the door, immediately a cloud of smoke hit her face and she scrunched her nose and waved away the scent hurriedly.

"Ah sorry didn't see you zhere" he apologized half heartily,

Still waving away the smoke she scowled, "those'll kill ya you know".

"I get shot at daily, this iz probably a better habit" he sighed throwing the butt onto the ground and crushing it. "What do you need?"

Her attitude changed and the woman's face split into a grin "Well I heard you might..like someone" Victoria mentioned suggestively,

"Uh no offenze Victoria, but your not my type" he paled, "And I don't feel like competing with Alucard..." He trailed off awkwardly.

She blushed and punched him in the shoulder "not me idiot!" She barked, "Seras!"

The mans eyes widened and he quickly put a rough hand over her mouth, "sshh! Who told you zhat?!" He whispered demandingly.

Swatting away his hand she frowned, "heard through the grapevine",

"Grape what?..." He repeated slowly.

Victoria sighed and waved a hand dismissively, "Never mind, I just need to know if your serious about it or not",

"Well why iz it your business!" Pip retorted defensively.

"Because she's my friend, and if you hurt her I'll cut you!" The artist barked "she's delicate!"

"Delicate? She could take down a whole building with a punch!" He scoffed placing another cigarette in his mouth.

"I meant emotionally!" She retorted,

"Ah" pip replied taking a long drag from the cigarette before watching the cloud of smoke drift through the air.

"So?..." Victoria asked after several seconds of silence,

"So?" He repeated casually as if the conversation didn't exist,

"Do you like her?!" The woman barked growing frustrated with his avoidance of the subject, and now somewhat understanding how Alucard felt when she did the same.

"Well... I guess" he shrugged awkwardly, "what about her?"

"What about her?" Victoria replied casually,

"Well does she want to go out sometime?..." He asked awkwardly avoiding eye contact with the woman.

"I don't know, ask her" Victoria snickered walking away mischievously,

"Wait what!? Come back!" Pip demanded watching her walking back to the manor hurriedly, eager to report her findings.

XxX

"Ah it looks amazing Victoria!" Seras squealed observing the painting in front of her,

She tilted her head and squinted at the canvas unsurely "Really? I'm not sure, see here the colors kinda-"

"Ssshh" Seras hushed cutting her off, "accept the compliment".

Victoria laughed softly and wiped her paint coated hands on her apron, "thanks Seras".

"Has master seen it? He'd love it" the fledgling commented absently still looking at the detail in the work, "he really likes paintings".

The artist thought back to their earlier conversation and paled, "no... He's not quite happy with me at the moment".

"Oh why? What happened?" Seras asked nervously,

Victoria scowled and avoided her gaze, "Ugh I don't know, he got sick of my attitude or something, and he well...

"What?" The blonde asked anxiously,

"yelled at me I guess" she shrugged casually.

Her blue eyes widened and she gasped "What really? Why?"

Victoria sighed and fell into the armchair, burying her face in her hands, "Because I'm mean.." She muttered.

"Not to me!" Seras argued trying to reassure the woman,

"Because I actually like you!" Victoria retorted.

"You don't like him then?" She asked innocently, "he's really trying Victoria..."

"..I don't know" the artist sighed before Seras's words processed, "wait, why are you defending him?"

"Because I know he looks mean, but he's nice sometimes, really!" She rambled,

Victoria ran her hands through her hair and sighed, "I don't want to talk about this anymore" she confessed.

Seras frowned but agreed regardless, "what do you want to talk about?"

She thought for several seconds of different topics until she recalled earlier events "Oh I visited your secret admirer" she recalled.

"Whats he like?" Seras asked excitedly,

"Well he's alright I guess, oh and he's planning on asking you out" Victoria informed a grin splitting her face.

"Really? Wow, I've never been on a date before.." She confessed,

the artist scoffed and stared at her with disbelief, "Seriously? You? How? I would have thought you'd be beating away men with a stick!"

"Well I've been asked on dates, but I was always turned them down" the blonde remarked casually, "they never felt right I guess".

Victoria nodded solemnly "Fair enough I guess, I get it",

"but never mind that, who is it?" Seras asked a mixture of excitement and worry in her voice.

"No it has to be a surprise!" She snickered mischievously,

the blonde huffed and buried her face in her hands, "nooo, come on!"

"Hmm... nah" Victoria replied playfully,

"Victoria pleaaaaasseee!" the fledgling begged dragging out each syllable in her words to be more dramatic,

sighing she knew she couldn't keep torturing her like this much longer, "if he doesn't ask you out within twenty four hours, ill tell you okay?" Victoria reasoned, "sound fair?"

"well... yeah I guess" Seras sighed knowing she wasn't going to win, "hey...why are you so involved with this anyway?" she asked suspiciously, "this isn't a prank between you and master is it?"

"ugh god no, his idea of a prank would be leaving a dead goat on someones car" Victoria muttered disgusted, "and its a shitty thing to be told someone likes you when they don't, its like girl code you don't do it" she explained thoughtfully.

"girl code?" Seras asked,

"yeah, they're like unspoken rules between girls" she explained "surely you've heard of them" ,

the blonde shook her head softly, "nope, what are they?"

"well I don't know all of them specifically" Victoria remarked thoughtfully "you've never ever heard of them?"

"I grew up around boys, they had no rules" she muttered frowning at the thought,

"gross, but I'll tell you as I remember them" Victoria offered.

"thanks Victoria" the fledgling replied sincerely. Suddenly the blonde jumped and looked at the antique clock on the adjacent wall, "We should get going" she sighed looking at the door solemnly.

"going? going where?" Victoria asked suspiciously, "I was supposed to be reorganizing the medical ward today"

"ah I guess you didn't see the note Walter left you then?" Seras asked, causing Victoria to shake her head in confusion, "right, well, we have to go to a meeting with the Vatican and the Queen".

"holy shit! like the actual queen?" Victoria asked excitedly with wide eyes, "the queen of England?"

"yes... but you won't get to talk to her sorry" she paled and saw the artists face fall,

"well then why am I going? what is she even there for then?" Victoria huffed crossing her arms, "I'd rather stay here".

Seras sighed and scratched the back of her head nervously, "they don't want you left here alone",

"the Geese?" she offered, "what about Walter?"

"both Walter and Pip are going, and a majority of the Geese are out" the fledgling explained,

"there's no one to baby sit me then?" Victoria remarked cynically, "I see I have no choice, meet in an hour?"

"Sir Integra's office" Seras clarified, "ill see you then?" she asked walking out of the room to prepare,

"yeah" Victoria sighed tiredly taking off her apron and washing her brushes, "ill see you in an hour"

XxX

Walking into her room Victoria noticed that atop the small table lay a pile of clothes with a note, scowling she walked over and read the neat handwriting, "Miss Victoria.." it begun, 'must be Walter's doing then' she noted. "Since you are meeting with the Queen, we do ask that you make yourself as presentable as possible" she read aloud each word irritating her more, 'subtle as a hand grenade isn't he' she thought cynically. "I had Alucard help with the Sizing, but if anything doesn't fit, please let me know ASAP" she finished, "are they dressing me now are they?" she muttered annoyed, 'how would he know my size anyway? I don't know my size' Victoria thought suspiciously. Throwing the note to the size she picked up the garments and examined them, a black pencil skirt with fitted jacket and a dark purple collared shirt, 'well at least the got the color scheme right' she thought relieved. After putting her dark hair into a long side braid and putting on a light face of makeup she begun pulling on the formal clothing, and found it all fitted reasonably well, beside the table were also a pair of heels which she reluctantly slipped on. Walking to Integra's office she felt very overdressed and hoped that Integra made everyone else dress the same, otherwise it would be very embarrassing for her. Reaching the office door she timidly opened it to see only Alucard and Seras inside, she couldn't hear what they were saying but they appeared to be arguing.

"she's still going ahead with it, I thought you said you'd talk to her!" Seras huffed angrily, "its just wrong!"

"I did try, however I can't go against her wishes" Alucard admitted bitterly,

"well who's going to tell her?" the fledgling huffed, "how do we even tell her?!"

"its best she doesn't know" Alucard said lowly,

"doesn't know what?" Victoria asked walking into the room eyeing the pair suspiciously. Seras's eyes widened and she looked at the man worriedly before looking back at the woman nervously,

"uh that he's going" Seras quipped, pointing to Alucard. Both vampires stood stiffly waiting to see if Victoria would believe the lie, after seconds of uncomfortable silence the woman dropped her suspicious look and frowned.

"well, fine then I guess, can't be helped" she shrugged before walking over to the pair and scowling, "wait, why the hell can you wear what you want, I got squeezed into this!" she complained gesturing to the dark tight clothing.

"you look lovely" Alucard stated his mouth pulling into a small smile and his crimson eyes running over her form greedily, causing Victoria to suddenly feel very exposed.

"oh don't you start!" Victoria barked, "you had apart in this didn't you" she retorted accusingly to which the vampire only laughed softly in response. She collapsed in a nearby chair and attempted to pull the skirt down, "this is way too short! and these heels should be illegal!" she protested pointing to the almost stiletto type shoes. "I cant meet the Queen looking like a flight attendant!"

"you do look very nice" Seras complimented softly, "I wish I could wear things like that",

"thanks, but i'll trade any day" the artist mumbled. Suddenly the door was pushed open and Victoria hoped it was Integra so she could get this meeting out of the way, Instead Pip walked through the door and stared at the group awkwardly.

"what the fuck, you can't be serious" Victoria groaned, "your wearing that? Who the hell let you?!" she sighed in defeat starting at the man's tremendously mismatched outfit, consisting of a pink t-shirt and striped purple long-sleeve shirt underneath.

"your coming zhen" Pip stated with a slight tone of annoyance ignoring her previous comment, "and who let you wear zhat" he retorted gesturing to the woman's outfit. "you look like a prostitute".

"always the charmer aren't you Bernadette" Victoria sneered,

"well im just saying what everyone was thinking" he huffed in reply, causing her to conclude that since their meeting that evening he was still upset with her.

Suddenly the door flew open and Integra looked around the room at the people inhabiting her office, "your early" she stated coolly, Victoria and Seras exchanged nervous glances before looking at the butler who merely shrugged in reply. "no matter, lets get going then" she sighed gracefully walking back through the door, indicating for everyone to follow.


	20. Chapter 20 - The worst day

Sorry everyone for the slow update, Iv'e been super busy with schoolwork and work, also half of this chapter deleted and it took me quite awhile to rewrite and edit. Every chapter actually takes quite awhile to write and longer to edit, the whole process takes several hours so updating isn't something i'm able to do as frequently as i'd like.

Im not dropping this story I've just been really shitty with updating, sorry!

xxyangxx2006- yeah I think the same, it would be sure to cause many problems, however the next few chapters will determine the outcome :P. And I'm sure that her usual paint stained clothes wouldn't have left a good impression.

shadow12177- yeah I think I may have gone a teeny bit overboard with the coldness lol.

also I've tried writing the accent because why not, I know it's not perfect but oh well

I noticed that millennium mixes German and English together sometimes, so here are some translations (from a phrase book)

guten tag= good day/evening

Danke=thanks/thank you

und=and

Nichts zu danken= no problem/don't worry about it

ja=yes

thanks for reading, please enjoy!

* * *

The ornate halls inside the palace were more of a maze then the Hellsing manor, each corridor identical to the next. Integra confidently led the group down the hallways as if she knew the place like the back of her hand, while Walter followed closely behind her. Seras and pip exchanged idle chatter in the form of cautious whispers, occasionally exchanging small fits of quiet laughter. Following behind the pairs were Alucard and Victoria who remained completely silent that was until her phone begun ringing loudly. Immediately everyone stopped and turned around to look at Victoria disapprovingly, "shit, sorry guys" she apologized over the loud Ghostbusters theme ringtone. She quickly pulled out the phone and paled, "guys I'm really sorry, go ahead I'll catch up, I really need to take this" she muttered her cheeks flushing red.

"Hurry up" Integra barked before quickly pacing away, Walter, pip and Seras following obediently behind. However Alucard hung back and glared at her with irritation,

"Who is it?" He demanded.

Fumbling with the device she quickly answered the call before quickly speaking into it, "hold on a sec" she rambled before pressing the device to her chest muffling the receiver. "It's Alex, you should go ahead" she murmured before pulling the phone back to her ear. "Hi Alex, whats wrong?" She asked while pointing towards the slowly disappearing group.

Alucard opened his mouth to protest but snapped it shut when Integra called him through their connection, he nodded softly to Victoria before phasing through the wall in a mass of shadow. 'so weird' Victoria noted watching him disappear, suddenly she was snapped out of her thoughts when Alex's tone grew loud and demanding,

"Did ya hear what I said? Are ya even listening?!" She asked angrily.

"Ah sorry I was doing something can you repeat it real quick?" Victoria replied in an apologetic tone.

"I was thinkn' that your story doesn't match up, ya hate cleaning! And Scott said he saw ya leaving your apartment with some guy? And-" Alex rambled her voice growing irritated.

Suddenly Alucard phased back through the wall and pointed to the phone, "end it, the meetings starting" he stated coolly.

Nodding Victoria begun following him down the halls while hurriedly talking into the phone, "Sorry, I'm really sorry but I'm about to go to a very important meeting I can't talk right now".

"Wait what? Why tha' 'ell does a cleaner need ta go to a meetin'!? Your lying to me! Tell me whats going on!" Alex demanded.

The pair reached the door leading to the meeting and Victoria sighed, "I'm really sorry okay, really really really sorry, I have to call you back" she muttered apologetically hanging up before the bluenette could protest.

XxX

Everyone's eyes flickered over to her and she awkwardly walked over to where Seras and Pip stood, Seras muttered a soft greeting while Pip glanced at her with a disdained look. From the other side of the room Integra glared at her intimidatingly while several other people at the meeting glanced at the woman before talking amongst each other in hushed whispers.

"Im sure you all know who the vampires are" Integra announced to the table before gesturing to Pip and Victoria, "Pip, is the leader of the wild geese, the mercenaries in our employment. And Victoria, our new medic and investment".

'investment?' Victoria questioned internally, 'what exactly are they investing?'

"the Queen is waiting" Integra called to Alucard, "remove your glasses".

The elder vampire did as he was told and slowly approached the Queen who sat at the head of the table, the whole room was silent and the atmosphere was tense. He stood in front of the sitting woman and he looked down at her with curiosity, "its been a long time vampire, come, let me get a closer look at you" The Queen requested he kneeled before her and a eerie smile split his pale face, Victoria watched with mild interest as the old woman slowly reached out and placed her wrinkled hands on either side of his face, "all these years and you haven't aged a day" she remarked in awe, "unfortunately, time hasn't been as kind to me".

Victoria lent over and whispered to Seras, "do they like, know each other or something?"

"i'm not sure, he hasn't mentioned her to me" Seras replied flatly, not amused at the fact he kept this from her as well.

the vampire and elderly woman's conversation had become a series of hushed whispers and Victoria struggled to hear what they were saying, however after several seconds the queen let out a small chuckle and Alucard stood up slowly, his signature grin still plastered on his face. Victoria lent over to Seras who now had a light pink tint on her cheeks, "what did they say?" the artist whispered.

"I uh, didn't hear" the blonde lied not wanting to repeat the conversation.

"Tell me your report vampire" the queen requested loud enough for the whole room to hear, Alucard turned around with the same grin on his face, the memories still fresh in his mind.

"some fifty five years ago a deranged Nazi major attempted to breed a vampire army, however Walter and I laid waste to their operation. It seems they refused to die" Alucard recalled exchanging a knowing glance with the butler. "They've returned with replenished numbers, and are attempting to complete their previous goal."

The table exchanged worried glances and were whispering amongst each other with concern, Integra sat alone and silent, deep in thought. However everyone snapped out of their chatter when a voice was heard from the doorway, "ah it seems zhat Tublacains blood must have given us away, za major sure blew zhat one" Schrodinger announced cheerfully. Immediately half the table pulled out their guns and pointed them at the cat boy and the room resounded with clicks as the gun's safeties were switched off. Immediately he put his hands up in defeat and slowly and cautiously walked towards the table, "don't shoot za messenger, im not here to fight anyvone" he explained carelessly, before setting a small box down on the wooden table.

Integra looked up at Walter furiously, "how did he get in here" she demanded coldly,

"my apologies, i'm not sure how he go past security" the butler apologized, a confused expression adorning his face.

"security is useless against me, im everyvare und novhere" Schrodinger boasted,

While Victoria was staring at the ears atop his head she wondered whether they were real or not, that was until they twitched and she sighed internally, 'oh I get it, Schrodinger's cat, clever' she noted. "hey you guys kinda look alike" she whispered to Seras.

"we do not!" she protested looking at the boy curiously,

Suddenly he turned around and stared at the fledgling for several seconds until his face split into a small grin, "Guten tag" he remarked politely in German.

Seras paled and stared at the floor in embarrassment, "guten tag" she replied meekly.

Schrondiger smiled at the woman before turning back to the table, "to za gatherd representatives of za Vatican und Great Britain, my commanding officer, za glorious Major, has a message for all of you, please attend carefully" he announced cheerfully. Pulling the remote our of his pocket he clicked the button on only to find the video not working, he continued mashing buttons while everyone looked on eagerly, awaiting the message.

"uh try changing the source to visual?" Victoria suggested shyly,

The boy looked at her with a confused expression before doing as instructed, causing the screen to flicker to life, "ah Danke".

_"_Nichts zu danken" she replied softly earning her a hard glare from Integra. The screen lit up and showed an image of grinning a overweight man dressed in white, in the background pleading screams could be heard as well as the tearing of flesh and cracking of bones.

"Major it looks like you've got your hands full" Schrodinger chirped,

"no things are going vell, it feels as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders" he replied cheerfully, before the image panned over to a area completely covered by shredded body parts and internal organs splayed everywhere.

"hello Major" Alucard addressed casually as if greeting an old friend,

"ah Alucard, Im so happy to see you again, it's been far too long!" the Major replied with an unusual amount of enthusiasm.

"What is it that you want" Integra demanded calmly, glaring at the screen,

a grin split the Majors face and he bowed, "ah face to face with the Fraulein herself, Miss Integra Hellsing, its a pleasure to meet you".

"whats the purpose of this? what are you trying to accomplish?!" Integra demanded coolly,

Victoria watching the exchange noted how Millennium seemed to be far more cheerful and carefree than Hellsing, where everyone was serious and gloomy all the time. Not the mention the fact that the cat boy and Major seem to be rather polite. 'maybe i'll run off and join them' she thought amused.

"what a silly question, a question which you already know the answer. But to put it in the simplest terms, our purpose is a total absence of purpose" the major explained as the screen changed to show a hoard of gouls tearing apart several restrained people.

"your insane, all of you" Enrico commented dryly, eyeing the video with disgust.

"did I just hear someone from Iscariot questioning my sanity? Im insane? how foolish, you didn't have any objections fifty years ago" Major reminded earning a grimace from Enrico. "but enough of that, you may ask who my enemy is, Britain? The Hellsings? Well yes, but really it's that man laughing in the corner back there!"

Alucard was consumed by a fit of dark laughter and his husky booming laugh echoed through the room,Victoria eyed his actions with confusion, 'a whole army threatens to kill him and this is how he responds?' she noted.

"I accept your deceleration of war, I can't wait to destroy you again" the vampire replied with excitement,

"no matter what you do we will never give up" Major announced confidently, "this time around, we will win".

Integra had grown tired of the situation and could feel the beginnings of a migraine, "Alucard, kill him" she commanded softly.

Alucard was more than eager to obey and before Schrodinger could protest the barrel of a gun was roughly shoved into his mouth and was fired instantly, fracturing his skull into fragments and tearing the soft tissue from his bones. The cat boy fell backwards onto the ground in a twitching heap and Victoria looked away in disgust, "holy shit" is all she could choke out.

"fine shoot the messenger if this is what you've come to" Major sighed, "I look forward to seeing you on the battle field fraulein" he remarked calmly before he was cut off by the screen being shot to pieces courtesy of Seras.

The room was silent and everyone had a look of either horror or deep though on their face, Major's announcement had affected them all. Suddenly The Queen cleared her throat and made an announcement, "Alucard, Sir Hellsing...Destroy them".

XxX

"Major your so slow! In zhe time it took you to valk down one hallway, I went to London, got my head shot off und came back!" Schrodinger rambled, "maybe you should go on a diet" he teased.

"oh no I couldn't do that" Major chuckled shooing the boy away from his chair before taking a seat, "have zhey arrived yet?"

"yes, zhey are coming in now" Doc explained looking over his shoulder to see a short, stout red haired man entering the room, behind him a lanky man with dirty blonde hair followed cautiously. Both stood before the Major, grinning, showing their newly grown pointed teeth.

"are you sure we need zhem?" Doc asked anxiously eyeing the pair,

"Ja of course! zhey know zhat woman, its always the ones you know zhat hurt you" the Major snickered, "now, your objective is clear, to break zhat girl und cause the release of za vampire" he instructed. "zhen bring her back here, no delays now".

"How do you know it will work?" Schrodinger asked, "I saw her today, she didn't seem all zhat ill".

"ah not on za outside but za inside! Our source informed us she was close to breaking, she just needs und extra push!" Major explained cheerfully, confident his plan would work. "now, be on your way, i'll instruct you when to start phase one" he instructed the men before him, the nodded obediently before eagerly walking out of the room.

As soon as the men left Doc voiced more concern, "vhat are you planning to do with her?"

"it seems that Alucard is still alive und well, zherefore we can use all the help we can get" he explained reluctantly, "I thought you'd be excited for a new subject to study"

"ja of course, but what makes you think join us?" Doc asked with doubt,

a grin split Major's face and a glimmer of excitement flashed across his face, "Well of course she'll be drawn to destruction! Und we vill present the most irresistible offer"

"Offer of?" Doc asked,

"Revenge!" Major announced, "she'll want revenge, und we will offer it too her, in exchange for her loyalty".

"what of the men?" the doctor persisted, "how do we know zhat they will play zhere parts?"

"they have been promised a reward, it ensures they keep their end of za deal"Major explained,

"so sneaky Major!" Schrodinger snickered, "tricking people like zhat"

"well it will be worth it in the end, Millennium will have a vampire to rival Alucard" Major boasted proudly, "Fraulein Victoria will be our most powerful pawn"

XxX

Integra strided out of the large room in a hurry, her ideas and expectations of millennium more confused then ever. Walter didn't say a word and kept his distance behind her, sensing that she needed space, especially from him. Seras and Pip were deathly silent and followed behind the pair stiffly while Victoria kept her distance from Alucard who trailed behind slowly. Watching him shoot the boy further ground the idea into the artist's mind that he was in fact a monster, the image of the cat boys head exploding into a bloody shrapnel kept playing through her head like a macabre movie while the sound of the gunshot still rung through her ears.

"Are you alright?" Seras asked softly slowing down to meet with Victoria, "I'm sorry you had to see that",

Victoria shook her head dismissively "I've seen people shot before, it's alright".

"You sure? You look kind of pale, and shocked" the blonde pushed, "if you need someone to talk abo-"

"It's fine" Victoria snapped cutting her off rudely.

"Oh um, yeah alright, sorry" Seras replied shortly before walking back to meet up with pip hurriedly, the two exchanged hushed whispers and glanced back at the woman. Victoria scowled and looked at the floor, '_she was just trying to help, no need to snap_' a voice in her head echoed, unfamiliar to her own. Frowning further she clenched her fists and jaw, refusing to lose her cool here, it was a relief when the main doors leading to the driveway approached.

XxX

"Bad day?" Walter asked softly pouring the hot tea into the delicate china cup,

Victoria sighed and pulled out the various pins and ties holding her messy hair, letting the dark locks fall over her face. "You have no idea" she sniffed taking the cup from Walter gloved hands and staring into the reflection blankly.

"I can fetch Seras or Alucard to keep you company if you wish" the butler offered setting the tray down,

"No thanks... I messed up with Seras, and I don't want to see him right now" she confessed averting eye contact.

Walter gave a slow nod in understanding and sat in the chair adjacent to the woman, "Alucard? Because of what happened at the meeting?"

"Well yeah but... It's more than that" Victoria sighed trying to make it sound as not simple as it seemed. "I don't want to bother you with it, but to put it simply I don't think we are right for each other".

"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way" Walter commented awkwardly,

Victoria ignored his commented and took a sip from the ornate cup, "Yeah well, with the whole Katja thing I don't really have the time and energy to put into fixing him".

"Is she putting a strain on you then?" Walter asked with mild interest, "Katja?"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted and weak, apparently it's her doing. She thinks that all she has to do is mess my up psychologically and that'll be it, but i'm sure Integra told you" she explained bitterly tapping the cup anxiously.

Walter raised a brow and stood up suddenly, "Yes, I was informed awhile ago. Well I must be taking my leave, but I'd recommend you spend some time outside, it's rather warm today and you've been inside too long" he offered placing the tray back onto the cart hurriedly.

Ignoring his strange rushed behavior Victoria lent back in the chair and stared at him with a skeptical look "Not afraid I'll run away?"

Walter smiled "We would catch you" he muttered softly, Victoria not missing the warning tone in his voice. "I'll come back later with dinner" he noted pushing the cart out the door.

"Don't worry, I won't be eating" Victoria called as he left, "I'll see you tomorrow"

"Untill then" he called back closing the door behind him.

XxX

The warm rays of golden sunshine broke through the trees and warmed Victoria's body, 'he was right, it is rather nice' she noted looking at the setting sunset. Looking down at her sketchbook she looked at the half finished landscape drawing with disappointment, 'well I was never much good at landscapes'. She eyed the the cup of tea in front of her and stared into the golden liquid that acted as a mirror, squinting she noticed her reflection was different, looking closer she saw her normal dark eyes were a crimson red. Victoria took a sharp inhale in surprise and quickly pushed the cup away from her, 'your tired, your seeing things' she reassured herself shakily looking back into the sunset.

"It's for drinking" a voice commented softly from beside her,

She knew who it was without looking, and she didn't want to see him, "you shot him" is all she could force out after several seconds of silence.

"He was the enemy" the vampire reminded, "I was protecting everyone".

"He looked like a kid" Victoria huffed,

"He was a monster created in a lab" Alucard remarked sternly.

"But he was alive" she growled looking at him from the corner of her eye, seeing if her words had any impact at all. To her surprise he had a look of discomfort on his face, as if the conversation upset him.

"And he still is, I didn't kill him, I merely scared him off" he explained, "we are in a war, weapons in the form of living creatures will be common".

"Whats going to happen to me?" Victoria muttered, "will I be in this war?"

"No, you won't" Alucard reassured her, figuring it was better if she didn't know. The artist nodded softly, satisfied with the answer and looked back into the distance, before letting out a long sigh, "Sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to call you that" she apologized softly.

"Yes you did" Alucard insisted coolly "you meant every word",

She was taken aback and her mind scrambled to form a coherent argument, "Well, yeah, but.."

"It's how you think of me" the vampire cut off, staring at her intently with his exposed red eyes.

"...yeah" she admitted, "but I was pointing out all the bad things, you do that in an argument" the artist defended. "You'd do the same".

"I don't see any negatives apart from your attitude" he stated in a gruff tone, "but I can understand how I may be partially to blame".

"Partially?" She snorted,

Ignoring her comment he continued, "for that I also apologize" he muttered. Victoria sighed knowing that it was as much as she'd get, seeing as she'd never actually seen him apologize before.

"It's okay" the artist replied flatly, "I don't hold grudges". Ignoring her comment he sat down in the other chair beside the small table, picking up the sketchbook he examined the drawing before setting it down gently,

"its nice" he noted.

"thanks, but I cant draw landscapes" she sighed looking again at the image, '_N__either could I_' the strange voice within her head replied. Shaking it off she hoped it was a result of stress and being extremely tired, "stop it" she muttered to herself.

"stop what?" Alucard asked looking at her confusion,

"no...its nothing.. I was just talking to myself" she mumbled in embarrassment, "anyway, pick a new topic" she requested.

"The police girl is upset" He stated flatly,

Victoria knew it was her fault so she tried to change the subject, "I told you not to call her that".

"What did you do?" the vampire asked persistently,

"I just _love_ how you assume it was me" the artist drawled.

a small smile pulled at his lips, "Wasn't it?"

"It was, just don't assume" Victoria explained, "I snapped at her earlier" she confessed.

A look of disappointment crossed Alucard's face and he scowled "that's all? well she needs to get over it, we have a lesson later",

Victoria sighed at his rough demeanor but couldn't be bothered scolding him, "How is she going with them?"

"There is improvement" he replied shortly,

"Good to hear" Victoria remarked, "How is she going with the whole blood thing?"

"she will only drink it if it is mixed with some horrible liquid from a can" he scowled in disgust,

"ah that was my idea, but i'm glad to hear it's working" she replied, "and don't you dare mess with it, if it works for her leave it" the artist warned.

"I have no reason to" he shrugged, "although I suppose I must thank you for it",

"I did it to help her, not you" she reminded sternly.

"thank you regardless" Alucard replied sincerely. Victoria responded with a awkward smile before pulling out her buzzing phone,

"ah shit, I have to take this sorry, i'll see you tomorrow" she apologized before packing up her things and tucking them under her arm while she quickly drained the tea. The vampire scowled and looked at the vibrating phone with distain, Victoria quickly picked up the device before he had the idea to throw it off the balcony. "hello?" she spoke into the receiver, "yes this is" she replied walking away leaving him alone.

XxX

Walter set the tray down on the desk and dumped the overflowing ashtray into a nearby bin, "something troubling you?" he asked softly, after several seconds of silence Integra sighed softly,

"Millennium, I expected them to be more..." she trailed off thoughtfully,

"weak?" the butler offered.

"no, strong" she replied, "it seems a majority of their army is freak vampires, far less competent and strong than a actual vampire" she explained still deep in thought. "I'm not sure we will need Katja after all" she confessed.

"confident are you?" Walter chuckled, "are you sure your not underestimating them?"

"no, Alucard and Seras are enough, Katja could cause more problems than solve them" the Hellsing leader reasoned,

"is it your decision to make? Katja seems eager to escape" Walter reminded.

"I'm aware there is only so much she can do with a human vessel", Integra lit another cigar and shorted out her thoughts, "as long as Victoria remains human the vampire can't do much of anything" she concluded.

"should we inform Alucard?" Walter asked softly, "Surely he'd be pleased",

Integra looked up from the desk in confusion "pleased? Why? he won't be reunited with Katja after all"

a small smile split the butler's face "I have the feeling Katja isn't on his mind anymore".

XxX

"Try harder" Alucard commanded, "your over complicating it",

"master i'm_ trying_" Seras whined pushing her hand against the cool stone, "it won't go through"

"you were progressing well until now, do it again" he muttered disappointment lacing his voice,

"it's been an hour and we are getting nowhere, can we try again tomorrow?" she pleaded tiredly,

"well who's fault is that" the elder vampire snapped, "show me you've learnt something then you may leave" he compromised.

"anything?" she asked softly,

"it has to relate" he clarified, "you have 30 seconds".

Seras panicked and tried to find anything that would fulfill his criteria until an idea popped into her mind, "oh i've got it!"

"well?" Alucard replied gruffly, "what is it?"

"heightened sense?" Seras offered unsurely,

the elder vampire pondered her answer and decided she could use it, "tell me what everyone in the manor is currently doing".

"oh uh, alright" she muttered before closing her eyes and focusing to finding everyone in the manor, "Sir Integra and Walter are talking about something, but I can't tell you what, they're too far away. uhh Pip and Kane are in the kitchen I think? everyone else is in the barracks I think." she finished proudly, glancing at Alucard to see wether he was satisfied with her answers.

"Victoria, What about her?" he demanded,

"oh uh.. she's erm.." the fledgling trailed off concentrating, she could hear a series of sniffing and sobbing coming from the west side of the upper floor, "crying, I think she's crying".

Alucard sighed and stood up suddenly, "very good, I see you've learnt something after all, you're dismissed" he praised hurriedly before rushing off to Victoria's room.

"I hope she's okay" the blonde muttered to herself.

XxX

Victoria took another sip of the whisky bottle and wiped the steady stream of tears from her face, she glanced over at the phone which had begun buzzing again, a picture of Alex filled the screen causing more tears to spill from her eyes. "I can't I'm s-sorry" she sniffed dismissing the call before taking another long sip from the bottle before slamming it down on the bedside table and crawling under the sheets. Fresh tears continued to fall and it felt as if her chest was going to collapse from the pressure, outside Alucard pressed his ear to the door and confirmed that she was indeed crying, he knocked twice on the door and heard nothing in reply. Slowly he twisted the knob and walked into the darkened room, shutting the door behind him he could now hear the crying more clearly, the smell of alcohol also hung heavily in the air. The vampire cursed and walked closer to see the contents of the bottle had been almost emptied,

"go away" a muffled voice growled from under the thick sheets.

"why are you crying?" he asked sitting down on the corner of the bed,

underneath the sheets Victoria curled into a ball and shuffled away from him "im not, im allergic to...spring".

"you like spring" he recalled,

"yeah.." she admitted accompanied by a hiccup.

"come out" he demanded softly,

"no.. no i'm fine here" she hiccuped, "you can leave, i'm fine"

"you come out or I come in" he pulled at the covers gently exposing the top of her head,

after several seconds of silence she eventually complied, "okay" she sniffed throwing the covers off.

"what happened?" he asked eyeing her with a stoic expression,

Victoria sat hunched over and reached for the bottle again before taking a large gulp, "my mom, she died, the pneumonia got 'er" she sniffed wiping her eyes again.

"my condolences" he offered awkwardly before handing her a handful of tissues he'd found on the way to her room,

"it's not 'er dyin' that makes me upset, i'm glad she's not sufferin' anymore" she sniffed holding a pillow to her chest in comfort, "when 'er dementia got bad, I stopped visiting the nursin' home because she didn't remember me anymore, so I always put off vistin', last time I visited she didn't even remember who she was" Victoria wiped the tears out of her eyes but couldn't look at Alucard in the eyes, a mixture of shame and embarrassment filled her. "it didn't matter if I was there or not".

"you regret not spending time with her then?" He concluded,

"yeah" she hiccuped, "I always put it off, just because she forgot who I was, I forgot about 'er".

The vampire gently pried the bottle from her hands before putting it out of reach and replacing the covers back over her body, "go to sleep" he commanded gruffly, "you'll feel better in the morning".

"okay" she sniffed pulling the sheets up around her body, "you can go if you want",

instead she felt the bed dip beside her and something soft dug under her hand, she rolled over to come face to snout with the familiar face of his dog form. "Thank you" she mumbled running her cold hand over the soft dark fur, while tears continued to fall from her closed eyes. Eventually he felt the movement stop, signalling that she had finally fallen asleep.


	21. Chapter 21 - Her lucky charm

** I realize my updating speed is getting slower but I don't have as much free time anymore. That being said this story is about 80-85% done I think, so I defiantly won't be abandoning it.**

xxyangxx2006- thank you! And very sorry to hear about your grandfather, i've lost many family members the same way and yeah it sucks. Also not to spoil anything, but I can almost guarantee everyone is going to regret their decisions in dealing with Katja ;)

**thanks for reading, please Review and enjoy!**

* * *

Integra exhaled the smoke from her cigar before crushing it violently into the silver pan nearby, letting out a long deep sigh she glared at the vampires before her. "I understand she's upset, but it's been three days" she muttered, "she's neglecting her duties and hasn't left her room".

"Yes, we are aware" Alucard replied shortly, "there's not much we can do",

Seras quickly glanced over to him to already find him staring, obviously wanting her to side with him, "yeah, she uh, is really upset".

Ignoring their comments Integra flicked through the file in front of her, "According to her file her birth parents were not present after the age of seventeen" Integra recalled flicking through the papers, "was her mother alive all this time?"

"Its most likely the accumulated stress of recent events" Alucard interjected, "her mother's death seemed to trigger it".

The Hellsing leader sighed and glanced back at the folder, 'it seems we don't know as much about her as we thought' she noted. "Well, I'm sure a mission will snap her out of it" Integra remarked with confidence. "Seras, bring her here after dinner" she commanded.

"Yes sir" the fledgling paled before walking off to check on the woman. As soon as the door shut Integra glanced over to see a look of irritation on Alucard's face,

"Why did you send her" he growled.

Integra clenched her teeth and gave him a stern look, "when you two argue the whole house hears it" she remarked bluntly. "You aren't exactly sensitive".

The vampire opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut when he realized that she had a point, even he could admit that he isn't good with emotions and helping others through them, but he wasn't going to admit it. "I see" he huffed, "I'll have Seras inform me of her condition later" the vampire sighed.

XxX

Seras was approaching the artists room when the sound of yelling stopped her in her tracks, pressing her ear against the door she could easily make out the distressed arguing.

"...no...yeah I just...no!...please just...listen to me Alex!" Victoria begged into the phone,

Seras could just barely make out the voice of Alex who was shouting angrily in reply, and constantly cutting off Victoria. After several minutes of the arguing Seras heard the line disconnect and the phone was slammed back down onto the table, accompanied by several bouts of swearing. The fledgling paled and hesitantly knocked on the door softy, after several seconds Victoria replied, "Who is it?" She growled.

"Seras" she chirped, "Can I come in?"

After a heavy silence Victoria replied, "as long as it's only you",

Seras thought her conditions strange but didn't question them, slowly she opened the door and was immediately hit with the smell of alcohol. Looking around the dark room there were several empty bottles and plates of half eaten food, scrunching her nose in disgust she approached the table where the artist sat.

"Whattya want" she huffed taking a large sip from the bottle beside her, and closing a sketchbook hurriedly, "got more?"

Seras eyed the drink and felt guilty for buying it for her, seeing that she could have prevented the situation. "Uh no...no" she confessed, "I came to check on you, and I've got to bring you to Sir Integra later".

"She's getting sick of my moping then" Victoria sighed running a hand through her unbrushed hair. "It's stupid, this whole thing. I have to pull myself together" she remarked in disgust.

"Well, a lot has happened, it's not really stupid" Seras consoled, "you shouldn't feel ashamed".

"Well I do" the artist sighed, "I mean, I still feel like shit, but there's work to be done and Integra's been generous enough to give me this time off, I can't take any more, I feel so guilty. It's just every time I try, I can't get the motivation", she confessed.

Seras frowned and placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder, "you've helped me, now it's my turn to help you" she smiled softly. "First things first, we have to clean your room, it filthy and this food everywhere will attract mice. Plus you'll feel better when it's clean!" She chirped.

Victoria looked around the dark room and for the first time in days truly saw the state it was in, shame washed over her in a depressing wave and she sighed.

'_I can't believe you let it get this bad, it's pathetic_' the voice in her head remarked snidely,

Ignoring the strange voice once again she shook the thought out of her head. "Yeah that'd be great Seras, thank you" she gushed.

"Alright well, let's get started!" The fledgling remarked enthusiastically.

XxX

An hour later and the once dark and dirty room was filled with spring sunlight and every surface had been polished clean. The once strong smell of alcohol was replaced by the scent of a warm spring breeze, while the sheets were replaced with a clean crisp linen. The shower had washed away some of her horrible mood and she looked at her clean room with pride.

Seras looked around the room and beamed, "looks great huh" she smiled,

"Yeah it does" Victoria replied softly. "Seriously though, thank you, I would have left it in that state for way longer if you didn't help me".

"Well I couldn't let you stay like that, I felt bad I couldn't help before" she admitted, "I'm just glad your feeling a little better".

Victoria thought it strange the blonde hadn't brought up the phone-call between her and Alex, the artist knew that she overheard, dismissing the thought she tried to find a less gloomy topic. "I am, but enough about me" Victoria dismissed, "what have I missed?"

"Not much, it's been pretty slow around here" Seras recalled, "Sir Integra's been planning about millennium..." She trailed off. "Oh! And Pip finally asked me out on a date!"

"Oh that's great!" Victoria smiled feigning the excitement she couldn't produce. "Where and when?"

"Well we can't go far, so it's just an Italian restaurant downtown" she gushed, "and it's actually tonight!" She squeaked, "I'm so excited it's been ages since I've been out!"

"Well I'm just glad he didn't wuss out" the artist replied gruffly, "do you want any help getting ready or something?" She offered.

"if you're up to it yes please!" She replied eagerly, "I don't really know what to wear" the fledgling confessed.

"Hold on" Victoria replied before rushing to her closet and grabbing an armful of clothes, "I've got some stuff".

XxX

Victoria hesitantly knocked on the oak door leading to Integra's office, Seras anxiously waited behind her and could hear the arguing exchange between Integra and Alucard inside. After several minutes a voice with called her inside and she slowly opened the door, "good evening sir" the artist formally greeted.

"I'm pleased to see your up and well" Integra replied before glancing over to Seras, "going somewhere?"

"Pip said he would ask permission for a short leave tonight?" She asked anxiously,

Integra shook her head softly "He did no such thing".

Seras cursed internally, "well, may we leave tonight?" She asked, "it's been slow lately and we won't be long" she begged.

After several seconds of tense silence, a small smile pulled at the Hellsing leaders lips, "yes, you may. You've earned a break".

"Thank you sir!" Seras gushed, before making the mistake of glancing over to her master who until that point been quiet,

"Whats that powder on your face, and gunk on your lips" he sneered eyeing the woman with contempt.

A faint blush appeared on the fledglings cheeks and she suddenly felt very foolish for wearing what she was. Adjusting the blue cocktail dress she avoided his stare anxiously, "make up" she mumbled.

"Did Victoria put that on you?" He asked gruffly,

"Yeah I did" Victoria cut in. "She wanted help getting ready and asked for makeup, so I put some on her" she retorted. "She's looks nice leave her alone" the woman barked.

Alucard scowled and turned his glare to her, "Avoid doing it in the future",

"Make me" she challenged.

Before the elder vampire could open his mouth Integra silenced them, "stop it you two! Can't you be in a room together for more than a minute without arguing!" She barked. Victoria lowered her head in shame while a smile pulled at the vampires lips,

"I'm sure" he sneered.

Ignoring his comment Integra sighed and rubbed her temples, "Seras you may go, enjoy your night".

"Thank you sir!" She chirped before rushing out the door eagerly,

"You can leave Alucard" Integra commanded rather than suggested. The vampire scowled but let out no protest before disappearing a mass of shadows through the wall.

As soon as the vampire disappeared the blonde turned her attention to Victoria, "I'm sorry to hear about your mother" Integra remarked suddenly.

The comment surprised the artist but she thanked her none of the less, "thank you Sir...I apologize for my sudden leave".

"No need" she dismissed, "I'm glad to see your finally feeling better",

"Yes, thank you sir" Victoria replied looking at the woman with a skeptical look. 'This is the nicest she's been for ages' she noted. "May I ask why I'm here?"

Integra's brow creased and the relaxed atmosphere changed, "your aware of Millennium and their goals yes? Well it seems that their vampires have been popping up all over London" she scowled looking at the files in front of her. "We have been short staffed lately, therefore I've decided to send you into the field".

Conflicted thoughts ran around Victoria's mind wildly, as much as she craved the excitement she knew from experience that she wasn't suited to fieldwork. "But I uh, didn't pass my weapons test, in fact I failed...seven times" she paled.

Integra nodded her head understandingly, "Your duties will be strictly medical, but you are being sent with some of the less experienced Geese" Integra explained reluctantly, "Seras and Alucard have another larger mission, and Pip is taking several of the other Geese along".

"I don't know..." Victoria trailed off, "it sounds dangerous",

"It's a simple mission, a couple of vampires are planning on attacking a nightclub downtown, your squad will infiltrate and stop before they can attack the humans inside", Integra explained calmly. "If I didn't think you weren't ready I wouldn't send you" she assured.

After several minutes of careful thinking and the increasingly louder voice in the artists head persisting to convince her, she reached her decision. "...alright...I'll do it".

"Good to hear" she praised, "tomorrow evening your squad will meet outside the manor entrance where you will transported by military truck" she explained carefully before retrieving a file from her desk drawer and sliding it over the desk towards the artist. "Everything you need to know and bring will be in there" she elaborated before examining the woman's clothing, "wear appropriate clothing".

Victoria exhaled and briefly flicked through the folder, "yes Sir, anything else?"

"Not as of now, but in case we don't see each other tomorrow...good luck" Integra replied sincerely.

The fact that she wished her luck unnerved the artist, 'as if I wasn't nervous enough' she thought. Victoria forced a polite smile, "Thank you sir, I'll do my best".

XxX

Seras's heeled shoes tapped against the wooden floor anxiously, glancing at the clock she glared down at her empty plate, "ugh where is he!" She huffed. "I can't believe this, he said he-"

"Excuse me miss?" A waiter cut it, "But I must ask you to order soon or we will have to give the table to other waiting customers" he informed holding out the menu.

Seras turned her glare to the waiter before snatching the menu from his outstretched hand, "Long Island iced tea" she snapped thrusting the menu back into the man's hands.

He looked down at her nervously before writing down the order, "anything else?"

"No" she snapped, "I'm waiting for my date. He'll order when he gets here" she clarified.

The waiters look changed to something of pity, after all this woman had been here for almost and hour now. "Very well miss" he sighed before walking off to retrieve her order.

Seras watched the man scamper away with disdain, taking the paper napkin she took great pleasure in tearing it into shreds. Several minutes later and she could hear the whispers of the surrounding tables, they had begun to notice her situation. The fledgling blushed and rested her head on the table, a mixture of both humiliation and anger washed through her. After what seemed like an eternity later she could hear several staff arguing with a customer who had just burst through the door in a hurry,

"Sir you cannot come in here in that state!" A waiter protested.

"I have a reservation! I'm late let me through dammit!" He growled pushing past the staff. Seras didn't bother to lift her head until she head the creaking of the chair adjacent to her, lifting her head slowly she was surprised to say the least. "Oh my god Pip! What happened!?" She panicked looking at his slightly burnt and bloody uniform.

"I am very sorry for being late, we were held up at za mission when one of zhe vampires had a flamethrower" he explained still panting slightly. "You look lovely tonight" he complimented before taking the bottle of water on the table and drinking the entire thing in seconds.

The fledgling was still in shock, not sure if she should feel bad for him or angry for him being late. "You came straight from the mission?" She paled,

"Yes, I was dropped off on the way back to zhe manor" he panted, "I'm really sorry Seras, I tried to call, but you didn't answer" he explained.

Seras smiled softly, "I'm just glad you didn't stand me up",

"A beautiful woman like you? Wouldn't dream of it" he laughed before calling the waiter over, "now what shall we eat?"

XxX

"So.. Yeah it was much better after he showed up" Seras Beamed, "although he did forget I was a vampire, so he ordered me a lasagna" she giggled recalling last nights events.

Victoria looked at the woman anxiously, "did anything else happen?"

"Hmmm, no" Seras replied thoughtfully, "after dinner Walter came and picked us up, then we said goodnight and went to bed" she finished.

"Together!?" Victoria squeaked,

"No!" Seras retaliated, "nothing like that happened!" She huffed feeling her cheeks redden.

"Not even a kiss?" The artist asked slyly,

Seras cheeks further darken and she looked to the ground in embarrassment, "a little one" she mumbled.

"Aw Seras! Your first kiss!" She barked, "congratulations!"

"Oh uh...thanks" the blonde chirped, "he was actually a gentleman, there's a different side to him".

"Pfft I doubt it" Victoria scoffed, "Pervy frog" she snorted,

Seras was about to retaliate when she noticed Alucard enter the room, "are you done gossiping?" He barked.

"What the hell?" Victoria hissed turning around to glare at him, "don't eavesdrop!"

"The whole house can hear you" he drawled, "technically it's not eves dropping".

Ignoring his comment Victoria continued to glare at the man, "what do you want?"

A eerie grin split the mans face, "what do I want? Many things, I'm sure your-"

"Okay okay, shut up that's not what I meant!" She barked, "why are you here?"

Despite being cut off Alucard grin didn't falter, "we have been tasked with hanging the portrait" he explained with excitement lacing his tone.

"Why do I have to go?" The artist huffed,

"You created it, surely I thought you'd want a part in hanging it" he replied , "let's go".

Victoria watched him disappear through the door and after several seconds of internally debating she groaned and gave in, "I'm only going to make sure he doesn't wreck it" she growled climbing off the bed.

Seras snickered and followed close behind, "I'm sure".

XxX

Alucard effortlessly lifted the heavy canvas above his head and held it against the wall impatiently, "here?" He asked.

"I said to the left" Victoria sighed watching him maneuver the image, "my left!"

"It's crooked" Seras sighed, "are you sure the nails Walter put in can hold it?" She called to Alucard.

"It's not that heavy" he grunted readjusting the painting,

"You wouldn't know!" Victoria barked, "and now it's got this massive fucking frame!" She cursed.

"Please calm down Victoria" Seras begged,

"How can I? Look he's holding it with one hand! What if he drops it!" She growled pulling at her hair in frustration.

"I won't drop it" Alucard chimed in, "is it finally the way you want it?"

"It's crooked!" The artist barked before turning to Seras, "can you handle this? I can feel my chest hurt from the stress" she wheezed.

"Oh yeah sure no problem" the blonde chirped before walking over and taking the painting from Alucard and begun maneuvering the painting herself. "Better?"

Looking up from her tea relief washed over the artist's face, "so much better, thanks" she sighed. "Well, what do you guys think?"

"It's amazing!" Seras complimented, "your so talented!"

"detailed and elegant" Alucard replied simply, "a beautifully done portrait".

Victoria smiled and looked up at the image of Integra, her platinum blonde hair framed her olive skinned face while her piercing blue eyes and pink lips were highlighted. Her long legs were crossed while she sat regally on a dark oaken chair, the fire behind her burning lowly but enough to add the golden shadows to her figure. "Thanks, I like it" she muttered, "shame it's the last I'll ever do".

"Last?" Seras asked, "why last?"

"Well I don't really need to do it for money anymore, and I doubt Integra will allow me to paint here..." Victoria trailed off thoughtfully,

"I'll talk to her" Alucard offered, "such a talent shouldn't be hidden" he remarked bluntly.

"Oh, uh thanks" Victoria replied awkwardly before pulling out her phone and looking at the time, "shit, I've got to go get ready for my mission" she cursed. "I'll see you guys later I guess" she shrugged.

"Good luck" Seras chirped, "you'll do great!"

Victoria let out a low laugh, "thanks Seras, good luck on yours" she replied before turning to the elder vampire, "You too". Alucard nodded softly acknowledging her comment, Victoria then eagerly and anxiously made her way back to her room to prepare.

XxX

"...let's see...compression bandages...Adrenalin...stitching kit...defibrillator...yep that's everything" Victoria sighed stuffing the final items into the shoulder bag. Looking around her room she begun to feel the doubt setting into her stomach and anxiety returning. 'Is been ages since I felt that way, not since the military' she noted. Lifting the heavy bag off the bed she painfully slung it over her shoulder and immanently felt the strap run against the ghoul bite scarring, cursing she swung around only to come face to chest with Alucard. "Your not scary anymore" she laughed softly, "I knew you'd come here".

"Did you now?" He replied amused, "how so?"

"Your becoming...predictable" Victoria teased,

Alucard's lips pulled into a smile, "Are you asking for spontaneity?"

"Not at all" she sighed, "with someone like you predictable is safer".

"How boring" he sighed,

"Well I don't have much time" Victoria reminded looking at her phone, "what did you want?"

"Since it's your first mission I thought I'd give you a gift" he proclaimed,

Victoria was taken aback but remained suspicious, "oh no it's fine you really don't have to".

"I insist" he replied smoothly before pulling an item out of his pocket, "you frequently complain of nightmares, I believe these bring comfort to humans" he explained gruffly holding out the item. Victoria held out her hand and the vampire placed the object softly into her palm, pulling back her hand she looked at the item and begun laughing.

"Where did you get this?" She snickered holding up the dreamcatcher In front of her face, examining the intricate web and colorful stone beads and feathers.

"Don't like it?" He accused,

"No, no I love these" she mumbled feeling the item in the palm of her hand, "It's really cute, but it doesn't scream... you".

"Awhile back, a vampire attacked a herbalist shop...I saw it there and thought you would like it" he replied gruffly,

"You stole it" Victoria snickered.

"It was compensation" he retorted, "a fair trade",

"Of course" she snorted "...but seriously... Thanks... It's uh, really nice of you" she replied sincerely before tying the dreamcatcher to the strap of her bag. "It'll bring me luck" she joked.

"Stay safe" Alucard muttered suddenly, "don't underestimate the enemy, and don't always rely on your team, they can and will let you down" he informed seriously.

Victoria looked into his crimson eyes and to her surprise saw something resembling concern, "I'll be fine, I'm not fighting" she reminded, "I'll be okay".

Doubt crossed the vampires face and he vowed to skin the Geese alive if she got harmed, though he found it strange he was this protective. "I'm aware, good luck" he replied, "those are just things you need to know".

"Well thanks, for everything tonight" Victoria replied genuinely, "I'll see you in a few hours then" she noted before heading out the door, anxiously fiddling with the charm on her bag.

XxX

The truck was silent and the atmosphere tense as the geese spent most of the car ride loading their weapons or whispering amongst each other. Victoria was shoved between two of the Geese who made little effort to make room for her, and she found herself constantly shoving their legs away from her own.

"Let's get something straight" one of the Geese finally spoke, "we don't need you",

Victoria looked up from her phone to see that he was addressing her, "you don't need me?" She asked unsurely.

"Yeah" he barked, "we've gone this long without a medic, we don't need one now" he snorted.

The artist scowled and looked around the truck to see a majority of the group agreeing with him, "a woman too, are you sure you can keep up?" One agreed.

"Seriously?" She snorted, "I could be the person who saves your life and you pull this shit?"

"We. Don't. Need. You" he repeated, "the fact Sir Integra thinks we do is insulting".

"I'm not dealing with this stupidity now" she replied shortly, "I have to focus",

"Pfft focus on what?" He teased, "your job doesn't require a lot of thinking power".

Victoria tried her best to tune out their comments, and after several long minutes of the ridicule they had finally stopped when they had realized that she wasn't going to react. When the truck finally pulled up to the location they fell silent, Victoria once again looked up from her phone and saw that they had begun climbing out of the vehicle without informing her they had reached the location. Sighing she hoisted the heavy bag onto her shoulder and stepped out onto the sidewalk, looking around the street she found it very familiar, causing a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach appeared. "Please not here" she begged before looking up at the building above her, the neon letters of Crimson Fairy burning into her eyes.


	22. Chapter 22 - Death's day out

Sorry again for the long wait, but I was extremely sick, again ;-; and this chapter took forever to write. This is the longest chapter in this story (almost 7000 words), but this is most likely a one off, I can't see myself doing this again.

BUT, please enjoy and thank-you for reading :V

* * *

"DAMMIT LET ME GO!" Victoria shouted thrashing against the arms that attempted to hold her back,

"THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" One of the men barked dogging her flailing arms, "WE HAVE A PLAN!"

"FUCK THE PLAN MY FRIEND IS IN THERE!" She growled ripping herself out of the arms and rushing forward, "ALEX! ALE-" she called.

Heath who had previously been silent the entire time camped his gloved hand over her mouth and ripped her backwards, "stop it!" He hissed under his breath. Looking around to the other men he was met with a relieved look, looking back to the club he paled, "its too quiet, no music or talkin' or anythin" he remarked.

"LET ME IN!" Victoria's muffled screams pleaded, attempting to pull away,

Heath sighed but kept his hand over her mouth, "they're already inside" he announced, "it's too late, our previous defense plan has to be turned to offensive".

The woman's eyes widened and she begun trying to tear herself free more violently, "I HAVE TO FIND HER!" She begged.

The surrounding geese lowered their heads in silence and glanced at one another, before Heath quickly spoke up, "I'm sure she's fine, from what you've told me she's smart, I'm sure as soon as the shit hit the fan she got out" he replied reassuringly. 'she helped me so now i'm helping her' he reminded himself.

The artists body went limp and she gently pulled away from his grip, "y-yeah" she stuttered unsurely, "she's okay, she's okay" she repeated in denial.

Unconvinced by her new confidence he reluctantly backed away, "alright, but think about the whole squad, don't be reckless" he barked sternly.

"Yes yes, fine, whatever" she hissed glancing towards the door anxiously, "can we go now?"

Heath sighed and eyed the door, the eerie silence in the air made him even more uneasy, a dark suspicion crept into his mind that the massacre may be over and they'd be walking into a room of corpses. "Fine, Johnson, you lead" he commanded gesturing to the man beside him.

Johnson paled and nodded before reluctantly heading towards the door, Victoria felt like she was sweating bullets and despite her clear orders she followed close behind. He carefully pushed open the heavy wooden door, causing the hot metallic air to rush out.

XxX

Slowly and cautiously the men filed into the large entrance room, however as soon as the door snapped shut behind them they were immersed in almost complete darkness. "Shit!" Jhonson spat, "bastards shot out the lights".

Victoria could hear her heat beat rapidly in her ears, and she wrapped her clammy hand around the charm on her bag tightly. 'Oh god she's dead!' She thought anxiously, 'it's too late it's my fault'.

"Come on" Heath whispered calmly, "I see a light source up ahead, let's move forward".

The men groaned quietly and reluctantly followed, occasionally bumping into each other and muttering curses. As the light source grew brighter, so did the faint sound of talking, Victoria tried to make out the sounds but there was no way she would be able to hear over the blood rushing through her ears. The only sounds that resonated within the room were the rustling of the solders gear and scuffling of the woman's feet. As she dragged her feet across the carpet nervously, her boot was caught on something soft, Letting out a short sharp shriek she quickly jumped backwards and knocked into the solider behind her.

"Oi!" He hissed, "whatta'ya doing girl?!"

"Th-there's something on the floor, it's a-a body " she huffed prodding the soft item on the floor.

"Bullshit, keep goin'" he growled pushing her forward violently,

"A-a body" she muttered, 'is it Alex?' She paled, 'no! Not it's not her, get those thoughts out of your head!' She reassured. Carefully shuffling around the object, 'she's fine, she's smart, she'll get out of this'.

Before long the group had swarmed around the door cautiously, Heath carefully peaked into the crack and looked around, "I can't see shit" he cursed, "we're going in blind" he explained reluctantly.

"The dance floor, that's where all the people are" Victoria mumbled,

"Yes, stay sharp" he whispered, "Victoria stay here until we have all gone in, the take cover behind anything close to the door".

She nodded frantically, anxious to see what lay beyond the door, Heath slowly pushed open the door "alright men, let's go!"

XxX

Victoria watched as each soldier filed into the room obediently, the shaking in her hands had returned and she clung onto the charm tighter. After what seemed like an eternity, the door was pushed open completely, Heath calmly walked back through and lent against the frame casually, "well...it's clear" he sighed.

"Really?" Victoria sighed in relief, "okay let me in" she demanded trying to see past him,

"Uh, clear of enemies...not bodies" be explained reluctantly, "it's a massacre".

Her dark eyes widened and she hurriedly pushed past him with little resistance, quickly glancing around the room she could see the mangled corpses of many staff and citizens. Walls had been covered in sprays of dark red blood while the heads of people lay nearby in piles. Mauled corpses were almost organised into piles and many had died with a pained horrified expression of their face. Ignoring the bodies, she scrambled around the floor looking for the signature blue hair, but the mountains of bodies, made it impossible to find her. "Where is she?" Victoria mumbled, "WHERE IS SHE YOU BASTARDS!" She cried bringing her foot down on the tiled floor, not noticing the crunch of the porcelain below her.

"Shut up Idiot!" Johnson growled, "for all we know they could still be here!"

"I don't care!" Victoria snarled, "they have her, I know they do! Come out cowards!"

"This bitch is crazy" one of the soldiers snorted, causing the nodding of several other Geese. However their laughter was cut short, when the soldiers grin quickly turned to a frown, and blood poured from his lips. Within seconds he fell to the floor in a heap, a large bloody hole in his chest apparent.

"Ah" the voice sighed as he held the weakly beating heart in his hand, "that's no way to talk about my bride".

The men immediately turned around in horror, while Victoria remained frozen, 'I know that voice' she recalled, slowly she turned her head to see Scott's face plastered with a grin.

XxX

Integra set down the delicate china cup and eyed it's contents with disdain, "too sweet?" Walter offered.

"No...too bitter" she sighed pushing the cup away and instead opting for a cigar, "tell me Walter, do you think I did the right thing?"

The butler sighed and set down the heavy teapot, "with Victoria? Is it my place to say?" He replied.

"I'm asking for your opinion" she stated, "I'm not sure she is ready" the blonde admitted. "We also know millennium has an interest in her".

"You can't keep her locked away like a canary" Walter sighed, "it's inhumane, you said yourself it was a simple mission" he reminded.

"You can never be certain with vampires" she admitted, "or with Katja"

XxX

Victoria felt as if she had experienced the single moment for an eternity, or as if it were a dream, she felt as if the ground below her had turned to water and she fell to her knees. "W-why, what?...you?" She sputtered out.

"Yes...me!" He chirped throwing the organ aside lazily, however before he could continue the quickly the soldiers raised their weapons and within seconds bullets were being fired into his body. Victoria watched as the led passed through his frame, and tore chunks of flesh from his body, her mouth hung wide open and she swore her eyes couldn't get wider. Eventually the firing stopped and the mass of mangled flesh fell to the floor in a heap. The soldiers hesitantly put their weapons away and several prodded the corpse with their boots, "it's dead, let's move on" Johnson remarked coldly.

Instead Victoria wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her head into her chest, "why? Why him? Who?" She mumbled her thoughts in a mess.

"Pull yourself together woman!" A solder barked, "weren't you in the military?"

Instead of answering she curled into a tighter ball, she could see the geese standing over the their comrade's corpse mournfully. Her dark eyes darted around the room frantically, the dim dance floor lights lengthened every shadow and a dreaded feeling sunk in. "it's not dead" she mumbled feeling her chest tighten further, "he's not dead" she whispered madly glancing to where the corpse once lay. "Not dead, not dead, not dead" she chanted looking around the room frantically for where Scott had moved too. Suddenly a horrible scream ripped through the silence and Heath's body fell to the ground in a heap, his head locked in a petrified expression rolled down the few stairs and stopped mere feet from Victoria's trembling form.

She locked eyes with his glazed over ones, and slowly raised her head in horror to see the redhead cackling madly and attempting to tear into the Geese with a large knife. If she could cream she would, but she was paralyzed with fear, even her breath hitched in her throat. Meanwhile many of the Geese skilfully attempted to doge his attacks while madly firing into the vampire, however a majority of their shots missed, too scared to hold their guns straight.

"Fuck why won't it die!" Johnson cursed,

Scott cackled and took another swipe at him, tearing a large chunk out of his arm causing him to drop his weapon. "Millennium has upgraded, we won't be so easily killed!" He snorted. Before Johnson could protest Scott held the knife to his throat and shielded himself with the man's body, and begun to edge his way towards the center of the dance floor where Victoria sat in panic.

"Aw, she's in shock" he tisked, eyeing the woman with sympathy. "Like our handiwork my dear?" He cooed,

"I-I...where's Alex?" She mumbled avoiding his blood red eyes.

"Hmmm, let's see.." He muttered, "ah! The loud, rude, blue haired woman? With my partner most likely!" He chirped.

"Is she ok?" Victoria asked desperately, "can I see her?"

"Hmm, I don't know, I don't get to decide what happens with her!" He grinned, exposing the long canines.

Victoria eyed him with disgust, 'vampirism doesn't suit him' she thought bitterly. "Take me to her!" She demanded.

"And why...would I do that?" He asked snidely, "you don't need her now, you have me!" Scott beamed. Johnson continued to struggle but he quickly silenced him by pressing the knife into his throat, causing a small stream of blood to pour. "That's better" he sighed. "I hate it when they struggle" he chuckled.

"Your a monster" Victoria spat slowly standing up, but her weak knees betrayed her and she quickly fell back down. Looking at her hands she could see them shaking violently, the smell of blood and death in the air nauseated her.

"Oh? And your boyfriend the vampire Alucard isn't? From what I've heard he's killed whole armies!" Scott barked.

Victoria breath hitched in her throat and her head felt light, "armies?" She sputtered,

"Several of them, he loves killing" he chirped, "but, you know what, I can see why" he snickered before quickly dragging the blade across Johnson's neck swiftly. The geese collectively gasped as the man fell to the floor holding his neck and writhing in agony, slowly drowning in blood. "It makes you feel powerful" he admitted.

Quickly the three remaining Geese begun fumbling with their ammo attempting to reload their guns, in shock at just losing their leaders. "Don't bother" Scott announced, "you won't be able to kill me with lead, I just want the girl, you are all free to go".

The geese looked at each other with doubt, "we can go if you have her?"

Before they could reply Victoria cut in, "you aren't seriously considering it!?" She squeaked,

One of the men bravely stood forward, although it was obvious he was terrified, "it's three lives or one" he reasoned. "We have already lost half our squad, Integra would want us to save more lives".

The artist couldn't believe what she was hearing, suddenly Alucard's earlier words echoed through her head, 'don't rely on your team, they can and will let you down' she recalled. "He was right" she mumbled.

"So..what will it be?" Scott huffed, "I'm getting impatient",

The soldiers took mere minutes to decide, "sorry Victoria, but...we can't...he won't hurt you...we'll send help" one replied meekly.

"Are you serious!" She barked, watching as they quickly filed out the door, "COME BACK ASSHOLES!" She hissed. Quickly she clambered to her feet and found most of the shakiness had subsided, clumsily she ran towards the door only to find it slam shut just as it was in arms reach.

"A deal is a deal" Scott purred, "your mine now"

XxX

"Hurry up!" One of the geese growled, "we need to contact base!"

"I'm trying Dane!" He huffed fumbling with the radio, pulling the device from the dash he hurriedly spoke into the receiver, "Sir? Sir Integra?! We need backup!" He called desperately.

After several seconds of tense silence she responded, "what for? You know there are no other Geese available".

Ignoring her response Dane continued, "we made a deal, Victorias still inside" he panted, "the vampire wouldn't die, bullets didn't work" he stammered.

"What the hell do you mean!?" She growled, "you left a squad member inside, alone with the vampire!" She hissed in disgust.

"He said we could go, he just wanted her" Dane argued, "we said we would get backup!"

And audible sigh could be heard from her end aswell as a discussion between her and Walter, "regardless, expect a punishment, I'm sending silver ammunition and Alucard now".

"Thank y-" Dane sighed, before he could say more the radio turned to static, signalling the end of the call.

XxX

"Through here love" Scott purred gently guiding Victoria into the adjacent bar room, "sit down" he instructed pulling out a chair.

Victoria ignored his gesture and pulled out her own further away, "what do you want" she spat.

Ignoring her action he smiled cheerfully, "you! Obviously" he chuckled, "that's why I'm here at this disgusting hole",

"It was nice before you ruined it" she growled reaching over the bar and grabbing a bottle of rum, "who changed you? Millennium?"

"Well you see, I was approached with a interesting offer, Millennium offered me this gift in exchange for a service" he explained, "but I was also promised that I could take you back to our base, where you would become my eternal bride!"

"Disgusting" she muttered pulling out the cork from the bottle and taking a swig, attempting to calm her nerves. "Your being played, no way they would give you a offer weighed in your favor" she spat.

"Really? Your drinking at a time like this?" He asked in disgust before brushing it off casually and continuing, "oh and there is another part of this deal, however I cannot tell you".

"I don't care" Victoria replied shortly, "when Alucard gets here your going to be nothing but a chunky bloodstain on the walls".

Scott shook his head slowly, "Hm, still relying on that psychopath-"

"Like your to talk!" She spat, "killing all these innocent people"

"Well, it actually was mostly Jake, turns out he had a lot of pent up rage" he shrugged.

'Jake? Where have I heard that name before?' She thought, taking several deep breaths she took another swig of the drink and slammed it on the counter. Looking around she saw only two doors, both leading into the maze of rooms, 'I can't run, he'll catch me easily' she cursed. Realizing she had tuned out she glanced over to see him talking about his plans.

'Okay I have to think of a plan while he's distracted' she noted, racking her brains she struggled to think of anything, '_kill him_' the voice reappeared.

'How? bullets did nothing' she recalled, sighing she begun playing with the charm on her bag, 'is he no better than Scott?'

"Are you listening dear?" Scott called with annoyance in his tone,

Victoria snapped out of her thoughts, 'shit I need to distract him longer', "uh yeah, very interesting, but I don't understand, can you go into more depth?"

"Of course! Glad to hear your finally accepting me!" He beamed before beginning to babble again.

Victoria sighed and closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts, 'I'm trapped like a rabbit in a fox pen, I could run into the other rooms but then there's Jake... who is he?' She thought anxiously. 'What if I try to fight him? No...I'd defiantly lose. Or I could wait until the backup gets here, but what if it doesn't, what if there is no backup' she thought hopelessly.

"I must admit, your attitude change is surprising" Scott interjected suddenly, "and to think I actually thought you didn't like me" he laughed. "It was Alucard wasn't it, he made you do those things".

'Hes in complete denial, it's pathetic' she noted. "Ah, yes, it was all him" she lied.

"Well you don't have to worry about him now that you've got me" Scott smiled,

Ignoring his comment Victoria scowled, the lies spilling from her mouth felt wrong, looking down at the dream-catcher charm guilt sat in her stomach. It was then she noticed the notable cut on her finger, sighing she dug through her medical bag, until cool smooth metal brushed against her fingertips. Making sure Scott wasn't looking she slowly pulled the item to the surface of the bag, letting out a small gasp she admired the weapon, a long silver dagger.

'Who the hell put this in here?' She thought confused, shifting the contents around more she eventually found a note, "just in case, -Integra" she whispered aloud, "when the hell-?. 'Why not a gun?' She thought, '...oh wait... right, the failed tests'.

Looking over she could hear Scott beginning to end his speech, 'now or never' she thought nervously. Hiding the weapon in her pocket she shakily walked over to the man leaning on the bar for support,

"What is it my love?" He asked softly.

The tenderness and affection in his voice sickened Victoria, and a part of her couldn't wait to kill him. "You know, all this time, all this talk of marriage, but I'm still a mortal" she stated, "is your promise of vampirism still...valid?" She whispered.

"Oh, uh, yes! Of course!" He beamed obviously giddy with excitement, "can't wait to start our un-life together huh?"

'This conversation is nauseating' she noted, "yes, but hurry up, we don't want my former comrades coming back while we are still here".

"Ah yes, okay" Scott sputtered, "I'll just uh.." He muttered pushing her hair to the side exposing her neck.

Victoria noticed his unusually bloodshot eyes, the same ones Alucard and Seras had when they don't feed, she also noticed the lack of ghouls. 'They aren't biting or drinking blood' she noted in astonishment.

Slowly he inched his body closer to hers a placed a pale hand on the side of her neck before opening his mouth exposing the fangs once again. Victoria regulated her breathing and waited until he was as close as possible, slowly she reached around and gripped the leather dagger handle tightly. Shortly after she felt his fangs graze her skin, 'hesitation' she noted, 'he doesn't know what to do'. Quickly she brought her arm up and pushed the dagger into his chest with all her strength, immediately Scott let out a horrible shriek and scampered away from the woman.

"Wh-what did you!? WHY!?" He screamed attempting to dislodge the item from his chest,

Victoria felt her mind cloud over and her conscious be pushed aside, feeling great pleasure in the sight of his screaming and writhing on the ground in pain, with a sadistic grin she walked over and knelt by his writhing form.

"_do you know what the funniest thing is?_" She asked softly, "_you are the worst vampire I've ever seen, you were a failure in both your life and un-life. You put this race to shame, and are by far Millenniums worst mistake_" she grinned.

He attempted to talk but instead a horrible dark mixture of old blood poured from his mouth, as he looked into her eyes the familiar dark Iris's had turned to a blood red. "_You were right about killing_" she sung standing up and pushing the dagger further into his chest with her boot, "_it is exhilarating!_" She cackled.

Scott looked into her eyes in shock, "I thought you lo-"

"_What? Loved you? No, we've always hated you see, but you were too easy to fool. It was almost boring_" Victoria laughed, "_but, you have provided this form with...some...entertainment, I must thank you for that_".

"Who are you?" He sputtered,

"_I...no...we are something you can never be, a hunter, a killer, a vampire, a worthwhile being. You were a waste of space, we simply create more"_ she grinned eerily. "_Now, I'm afraid this act must draw to a close, there is another vampire we must kill, and save the woman too I suppose_" she noted. As she strode out of the room her boot brushed the side of a handgun and it clattered towards the dying vampire, he quickly reached for the weapon but was stopped when Victoria brought her foot down on his arm painfully. He let out a gargled yelp and released his grip, Victoria cautiously bent down and retrieved the weapon, looking into it's clip she scowled at the two remaining bullets.

"Ple-please" Scott begged, "it hurts",

"_Oh yes, I know it does_" Victoria replied examining the weapon, "_hmmm...let's see... One bullet to shoot your bits off, and another to widen the hole in your chest_" she cackled cocking the weapon and pointing it towards him.

His eyes widened and he weakly attempted to wriggle out of the shots range, "_no no no_" he gasped.

"_Well you wanted death didn't you? I'm sure it'll hurry it up by a few minutes, in case silver poisoning isn't enough_" she reasoned, "_I mean, you do deserve this after all_". The redhead shook his head more vigorously and a disappointed expression crossed the woman's face, her red eyes glazed over for a few minutes before she lowered the weapon reluctantly. "_Your lucky I have somewhere else to be_" she barked. Giving a sinister grin she glanced at the dying man walking out of the room, leaving him to writhe in agony.

XxX

Integra quickly tore the phone from the receiver and dialed the number, after several minutes of ringing the other end picked up. "_Alucard, there's been a incident, we need you back here immediately!_" She rambled frantically.

"I've only just finished, I was planning to sight see" he replied casually, "quite a slave driver you are".

"Now is not the time for jokes vampire!" She hissed, "Victoria's mission has taken a turn for the worst, her team has abandoned her and she's now a hostage" the woman explained.

The vampire was silent for several seconds, an audible exhale was heard, "is she not capable of getting out of the situation?"

"These are new vampires, lead bullets have no impact, a single one has killed half the squad, she could be dead" Integra listed,

"Im leaving now" he stated bluntly, "don't send anyone else until I get there".

"Fine" Integra snapped, "hurry up" she barked before slamming down the phone. Nearby Walter poured another cup of tea and hesitantly slid the cup in front of her,

"I was wrong" she confessed. "She wasn't ready",

"There was no way you could have known" Walter reasoned, "they won't kill her, they will just capture her".

Integra nodded and took a small sip of the liquid, before sighing and staring into his amber depths pensively, "Then it's the death of us".

XxX

Victoria's thoughts were a mess, as she blindly navigated the halls the sound of static reasoned on her ears, "make it stop" she growled shaking her head, "make it stop please".

"_I cannot_" a voice other from her own replied, "_only you can_",

"No I can't, am I going mad?" Victoria mumbled.

"_Possibly_" it replied, "_but you will need to be_".

"Make it stop" she repeated weakly, "make it stop".

XxX

Alucard stared at the phone with a blank expression, his conflicting thoughts were becoming more apparent now. 'She is fine, she can defeat a lowly bloodsucker' he reasoned, 'but she is injured, and weak' he countered.

"Master?" Seras cut in suddenly, "what did Sir Integra say?"

"There's been an incident, Victoria is a hostage" he explained bluntly,

Seras's blue eyes widened and she quickly jumped up from the sofa, "we'll we have to go!" She chirped.

"No" Alucard growled, "there are still ghouls here that need to be taken care of, you will stay here with Bernadette, and I will go" he stated.

"Wait what, I'm staying here?" She muttered is disbelief, "my first solo mission?",

Ignoring her comments he quickly placed his weapons back in his coat and stood up stiffly, "report to me when you are done" he commanded, "we are relying on you, do the job properly".

Seras was at a loss for words, irritably blowing the stray strands of blond hair out of her eyes she glared at the vampire. "Your just leaving me here alone then?" She huffed,

"I would have thought you and Bernadette would appreciate the alone time" he remarked slyly.

Seras's skin slowly flushed red, not from embarrassment, but from anger. 'Why does he always have to abandon me?' She asked herself. Hanging her head low she nodded slowly, "Yes master, I will finish the mission" she mumbled. Alucard nodded in reply before leaving the room silently. Seras breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief before Pip stumbled into the room,

"What was zhat about?" He yawned rubbing his eyes.

"Victoria's mission has failed and he's gone to retrieve her" the fledgling sighed, "he's left us".

"Oh uh I'm sure she'll be okay" he offered awkwardly, "she's strong".

Seras felt her eyes water and throat burn, the words from her mouth were shaky and unsure, "yeah...she'll be fine".

XxX

Victoria stopped her wobbly gait as she reached a door, from behind she could make out the sound of heavy raspy breathing. Resisting the urge to throw the door off it hinges she gently pushed it open, she recognized this room, the staff lounge. Only a single fluorescent light continued to flicker obnoxiously and light up the small room, from the small crack in the door her red eye darted around the room, until it paused on the couch. The light continued to flicker inconsistently but she was able to make out a figure laying down, the warm air was heavy with the scent of blood and a familiar perfume. She felt the heavy fog lift her mind and she was now more aware of her surrounds, as of she had awaken from a dream.

"It's her" she whispered, "is she alone?" Victoria pushed the door open further and held the gun tightly in her hand.

Cautiously and calmly the woman walked forward, "Alex is that you?" she asked meekly. The artist's eyes widened to saucers and she quickly rushed to tend to the woman on the couch, under the fluorescent flickering light she could make out the familiar blue hair mixed with a crimson liquid.

XxX

Alucard stared up at the neon sign curiously, 'I've been here before' he noted, pushing open the club door he was immediately met with the strong scent of blood and immediately noticed the corpses littering the floor. Grunting in annoyance he didn't bother to step over the bodies as he made his way further into the building, eventually meeting with Scott. Alucard stood over the dying vampire and pulled out his Jackal, glancing down at the dagger in his stomach he pulled out the item and examined it with concern, 'silver, how symbolic' he noted.

"Please" the redhead begged, "it hurts",

"I'm sure" the vampire replied boredly, "first, tell me where Victoria is".

"N-no she's not Victoria anymore, she's a monster... Red eyes and cruel" he sputtered causing more blood to pour from his lips. "I just wanted her, she betrayed me".

Alucard scowled and finally realized why he noticed her different aura, 'Katja did this' he noted, 'she's almost awake then'. "You've served your purpose, I'll reward you with your wish then" he grunted before firing a single round into the mans skull. Stepping over yet another corpse he continued into the building, 'I could be too late'.

XxX

Victoria couldn't speak, or scream, or cry. It was as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs, and all that was left was led. The trembling returned as she slowly moved the woman's hair to the side to expose two deep angry puncture wounds in the woman's neck.

To everyone's surprise a weak voice broke the silence, "Victoria" it rasped.

"Alex! Alex oh my god! Your still alive!" She cried happily brushing the woman's hair out of her face affectionately, "don't worry you'll be okay" she reassured.

"Hey Vicky?" She muttered slowly opening her tired eyes,

"Yes, Alex?" Victoria replied softly wiping away her slow stream of tears.

Alex looked at her with confusion before weakly lifting her hand to her neck, "My neck 'urts" she winced moving her head, "he attacked me".

Taking a deep breath she examined her wounds and concluded that there was no way she'd survive much longer, the nearest hospital being over a half hour away. Taking in a deep shuttering breath, she'd seen this kind of blood loss before and knew there was no way she'd survive.

"How about everything else?" Victoria asked meekly observing her paler and cold skin, not to mention her blue cracked lips.

"body feels light" she replied softly, "but...I 'ave a headache...I'm dyin' aren't I? Aye...Blood loss",

"Oh no" the artist sighed, rubbing her teary eyes, "no no no".

"Hey Victoria?" Alex cut in her chanting, "...remember that time, in tha' military where we were in that tent, for like three days, helpin' people day 'nd night "

Victoria wiped her eyes on her sleeve and nodded softly, "uh huh".

"Remember that ... no matter how hard we tried... All of 'em but five died" she sniffed, "'nd remember how we were with 'em every moment up until they kicked tha' bucket?"

"Yeah" Victoria nodded remembering the event,

"'nd I cried like a baby after each one of 'em died, but ya' never did, ya' just drank until ya' passed out?" She laughed softly, "convinced it was yer' fault".

"Yeah I remember" Victoria sighed taking Alex's cold stiff hand in her own,

"well...when I go...please cry...but, don't drink okay?" Alex hiccuped tears falling down her cheeks, "I always hated what it did to ya', it's okay ta' be sad".

Before Victoria could say another word tears fell from her eyes and her occasional sniffing turned to ugly sobbing and hiccuping, "y-your not g-gonna die okay" She cried.

"nah we both know it... It's okay, I'm not scared anymore..." she smiled meekly struggling to maintain conscientiousness, "...I'm going ta' miss ya' Victoria, 'nd you'll miss me... but don't let it ruin yer' life alright, live enough for the both of us?" She requested closing her eyes.

Victoria squeezed her hand tightly and shook it roughly, "No Alex wake up!" She begged,

A thoughtful frown pulled at her facial features and she weakly squeezed back, "...no...I'm tired...let me sleep" she whispered before falling silent.

She felt the woman's hand relax and several minutes of waiting and rough shaking later Victoria realized that she had eventually succumbed to her wounds. She fell to the ground and let out strangled gasps, her chest feeling as if it was going to collapse on itself, with wide teary eyes she begun clawing at her skin trying to wake up from the nightmare.

"Please wake up Alex, don't leave me alone" she whispered hoarsely rocking slightly, "don't leave me, don't leave, come back..."

XxX

Victoria remained beside her for what seemed like hours, she was sure that she should have run out tears by now. Suddenly from behind her she heard heavy footsteps accompanied by soft sniffling and crying. Victoria froze and slowly turned around to see who was crying along with her.

"I tried to turn her!" He explained, "but she kept screaming and thrashing so I thought if I took more she would stop!" He hiccuped.

After several minutes of silence she wiped her tears and felt them replaced with anger, "y-you did this?" She mumbled, "why! Why did you kill her!" She barked standing over the man.

The man burst into tears and buried his head in his hands, "I-I didn't mean it!" He bawled, "she kept fighting an-and I thought it would make her stop!"

Ignoring his infuriating comment she finally realized who he was, "You-you're Jake, you worked with her" Victoria stated blankly,

ignoring her comment he continued to cry hopelessly, "everyone kept getting in my way, I only want her!" He protested. "Why do they have to be so difficult!"

"YOU KILLED ALL THESE PEOPLE? FOR NO REASON. YOU KILLED HER FOR NO REASON!" Victoria howled in anger feeling her mind cloud over like it did before.

The woman felt her eyes burn and a snarl pull at her lip, "_YOU STUPID MAN! YOUR FUCKING PURSUIT FOR HER KILLED HER! YOU STUPID MEN AND YOUR STUPID PURSUIT FOR WOMAN!_" She screeched before pulling out the gun from her pocket and pointed it at the man. "_I would kill you with my bear hands if this vessel wasn't so weak!_" She hissed.

"And I would deserve it" Jake sniffed, "I was too rough. I didn't want to hurt everyone but they got in my way".

"_Well right now your in our way!_" Victoria growled,

"I didn't mean it!" He protested.

"_I DONT CARE, YOU KILLED HER YOU WHIMPERING LITTLE RAT!_" She screamed before a single gunshot pierced the air and Jake fell to his knees, clutching his thigh,

"Ugh! You actually fucking shot me!" He cursed.

'ugh fucking eyesight' Victoria mentally cursed before re-chambering the gun and pointing it back to him, "we_'ll get it right this time!_" She huffed.

Suddenly with surprising agility Jake was on his feet and quickly dried his eyes, "I may have made this mistake but I won't let you actually kill me!" He mumbled.

"_Shut up! You need to die! You need to pay for what you've done!_" Victoria snarled, "_you don't deserve to cry over her!_"

Scowling at her comments he carefully avoided the barrel of her gun, darting around the room before kicking down the emergency exit, "she belonged with me!" He cried before grabbing several long shards of broken glass and throwing them at the woman. Victoria dodged most of the shards easily but a couple had found their way into her arm and left side and were deeply embedded. Falling over in a painful heap she desperately tried to control the bleeding while from the corner of her eye she saw the man grin triumphantly as he disappeared through the doorway.

"_NO YOU DONT!_" She growled propping herself up and attempting to line up her shot, however it was evident after the round went off that she missed and she had no choice but to let him run off into the distance.

She watched as his form slowly disappeared into the distance and she collapsed back onto the floor in defeat, breathing heavily she noticed the fog once again left her mind and she was pulled back into reality. She desperately tried to reach for her medical bag and stop the bleeding before she faced the same fate as Alex. Her best friend's death so fresh in her mind called back tears and she made no effort to stop them. Ripping open the bag she finally located the compression bandages and wrapped the around the shards and wounds, knowing her shaking hands wouldn't allow stitches. "Im the worst medic ever, I didn't save anyone" she growled hoarsely.

XxX

Alucard felt the vampire leave the building, and could sense him moving further away on foot. However, he could also smell the spilling of fresh blood, and decided Victoria was his absolute priority, he'd find the vampire later. Pushing open the ajar staff room door he quickly rushed to Victoria's side,

"Who did this?" He growled.

Victoria kept her teeth gritted and propped herself up slightly on her elbows, "Millennium, made them vampires" she panted still holding the wound. "They, were looking for us" she grunted.

Alucard ground his teeth together and glanced out the open door, "I will go kill him" he snarled standing up tensely.

Victoria weakly raised her arm and grasped onto the hem of his coat, "no idiot" she winced, "I need a hospital...and...I need you to revive Alex" she begged, "do the thing you did to me".

Alucard walked over to the woman on the couch and examined her carefully, before looking at Victoria with a expression resembling guilt. "I cannot, she has been dead too long" he admitted, "I'm sorry".

Tears once again fell from the woman's eyes, she attempted to meet his crimson ones in a glare, but all she saw were the eyes of her attacker. Looking away quickly she stifled a sob with her bloody hand, "no...no I was relying on this!" She remarked desperately. "She can't be dead, she can't be" Victoria wept. And it was at that moment, all the recent depressing events flashed before her eyes and accumulated into a wave that threatened to pull her under. Slowly she brushed her hand over the shard in her stomach,"I can't, I can't live without her" she sniffed before violently pulling it out, causing blood to slowly pool around the wound again.

Alucard had been previously distracted examining Alex, smelt the fresh blood and whipped around to see Victoria fall limp and the shard to clatter to the floor. "You idiot!" He cursed rushing to her side. "Why!?" He growled pressing the bandage back onto the wound.

Victoria lazily swatted away his hand but avoided looking at his shocked face, "I'm tired" she admitted, "I give up, let me go".

"No!" He snarled pressing harder, "not again!"

"Let it go okay, I failed, I'm okay with this" she muttered pushing his hand aside and wrapping hers in it's embrace. "It's my time, I don't want to be around to see London fall into war, I want to be rejoined with Alex" she admitted closing her eyes peacefully.

"No...no..no" he repeated growing desperate, "don't leave me again...",

"Careful red, your showing emotion" she laughed softly letting tears spill down her checks.

Alucard suddenly pulled her cold body onto his lap and stroked her bloody matted hair gently, "don't you dare" he growled. "Don't be selfish!"

Victoria frowned and closed her eyes, "let me go red... it's my time" she sighed. "Tell everyone..I'm sorry... And I love them" she sniffed, feeling her body go cold. She tried to clear her mind, and not to worry what happens next, 'what does happen next?' She thought, still feeling the comfortable stroking of her hair. 'I die I guess' she concluded. However after several minutes just as she begun to lose consciousness she felt a sharp pressure pierce her neck,

'he's desperate' she thought amused, 'perhaps this isn't the end'

* * *

And that's the end!...just kidding

this chapter is insanely dramatic, let me know if it was too much, I feel I may have gone overboard haha


	23. Chapter 23 - The Raven Who Soars

** Unnamed Wanderer**: Thank you very much for pointing these things out :) any input is of course appreciated. I personally do use many brushes/paints and pure gum turps, but then again I don't do many large scale paintings, I can now see there are some inconsistencies and realism issues. I can agree that long nails are infact a pain in the ass to remove paint from, as I have them myself. Re-reading the painting chapters, I realize that I didn't "write in" a easel as needed, but yes I agree it is necessary. As for the canvas, along with many of the other issues, It is stylistic issues, everyone paints and uses tools differently (eg using mediums or not). Thank you again for this feedback as it will help me loads with future art writings :3

**Sorry for the mildly OOC characters, I did try really hard to keep them as in character as possible :S**

**Thanks for reading :^)**

* * *

The air was cold, that was the first thing she noticed, that and how her teeth rattled and her body shook. The pitch blackness surrounded her like a suffocating shroud, the only light source peaked out from a crack under the door in front of her. Victoria knew what was going to happen, as it had many other times before,

"No" she whispered through chattering teeth, "I won't do it".

"But you must! You must!" A heavy whisper chanted cheerfully. Victoria tried to move her head to hear where the voice came from, but a sharp pain tore through her neck. Wincing she moved it back to face the door,

"I won't" she rasped feeling her throat tighten.

The voice let out a soft rumbling laugh,"Death and despair comes on a ravens wing" the angelic voice whispered, "life and peace comes on that of a dove... Which will you fly with?" The words echoed softly.

Victoria ignored the voices cryptic words and continued to stare at the knob of the door which now more than ever looked very enticing, reaching forward she caressed the metal gently. "I don't understand.. But I know I don't want to be a vampire, I did choose death" she replied softly.

"Hmmmm Silly girl!" The voice growled suddenly, shedding it's angelic tone. "YOU DON'T CHOOSE REMEMBER?!" It cackled before a sea of hideous shrieking laughter erupted around her.

Victoria felt the laughter coming closer, she could hear it getting louder and louder, her anxiety took hold and she desperately searched for the source of the laughter. Giving up as it only got louder she snapped her eyes shut and clamped her cold shaking hands over her numb ears as she feel to her knees.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" She howled,

immediately the muffled laughter stopped. Hesitantly opening her eyes she was greeted with the sight of the door infront of her bursting into bright green flames. Shrieking she desperately scrambled away from the flames only to tumble off the unseen ledge behind her. As she felt her body fall over the edge the air left her lungs and her heat skipped a beat in shock. Desperately she blindly tried to find anything to grab onto but even her screams left her as the icey wind whipped past her form as she fell.

"You'll get what you want girl!" The voice reappeared this time with a blunt tone, "should have taken my offer, you have chosen the hard way..."

XxX

Victoria snapped her eyes open and greedily sucked air back into her aching lungs, her tired blurry eyes quickly darted around trying to take in her surroundings.

"You are awake then?" A woman's voice asked softly,

The artist quickly snapped her eyes to the figure adjacent to her, the heavily accented voice brought up recent memories. "Katja?" She rasped.

"mhmm" she nodded, "I suppose you don't remember walking in here" the vampire noted crossing her legs gracefully.

"Huh? No...but there was a door... On fire... I fell..." She mumbled listing the events,

"Yes, but what happened before that?" Katja asked snidely,

"I..can't remember" Victoria frowned trying to recall the events. "But... You would have seen?" She muttered looking at the woman in confusion.

Katja had her eyes locked on the flickering candle in front of them, now the only light source since the once roaring fire was now reduced to warm coals. "I saw, I was there. But you need to remember".

"Something about a raven and dove wing...I don't have a choice.." she muttered absently, the woman's glazed over eyes now locked on the same candle.

Tisking in annoyance Katja quickly stood up from the decaying armchair and strode over to Victoria, stopping short and kneeling in front of her. Victoria quickly snapped out of her daze and glanced at the vampire but quickly looked away, choosing to stare and her curled hands in her lap.

"Look at me" Katja demanded gently guiding Victoria's head to face her, eventually Victoria's eyes met hers in a timid stare. Victoria desperately wanted to look away from the vampires red eyes, as they brought up feelings of anger and fear for a reason unbeknownst to her at the time. However Katja's firm hand on her cheek deterred her efforts.

"These eyes, the eyes of a vampire, make you feel anger, sadness, confusion" she noted, her unnerving unblinking glaze locked on the woman's. "You'll soon see why". Motioning for the artist to close her eyes, the vampire did the same and pressed her cold forehead to the woman's, causing a ocean of dark memories to flood her mind.

XxX

"Alucard this is getting ridiculous" Integra barked standing over the man, "you've been here for a week now, your presence isn't going to wake her up!"

Alucard ignored her comment and continued lazily watching the blood IV drip slowly into the tube below, "she should have awoken by now" he muttered. Integra snapped her mouth shut as she noticed the genuinely concerned expression on the vampires face, "Katja may have taken her" he noted.

"Well, is she a vampire now?" Integra cut in, "physically?"

"Yes" he replied gruffly, "her body is healed-"

"But not her mind?" The Hellsing leader supplied.

"Precisely" Alucard replied shortly, "we won't know who occupies her body until she wakes up".

The blonde nodded slowly, "how is Seras?"

"She refuses to drink blood or take her lessons seriously" he explained reluctantly, "Victoria's absence has impacted her greatly".

"As it has you" Integra noted eyeing the white tinge in his normally ebony hair, "you both must take better care of yourselves".

Alucard scoffed and turned back to watching the IV slowly drip, signalling the end if their conversation.

XxX

Victoria jerked backwards away from the woman and buried herself against the back of the chair in shock, "you were... You controlled me... I killed Scott... Alex.. Alex died.. She was killed...he got away" she stammered wide eyed. "Alucard bit me!" She shrieked slapping her hand to her neck and feeling the deep puncture wounds. "Because I was going to die... "

Katja stepped back cautiously, somewhat excepting this reaction, "but I kept you alive" she reminded, "he was far more desperate however" she noted.

Ignoring her comments Victoria kept rambling absently, "the bastard got away...I let her die, I was useless" she sniffed, "I let him get away..."

"Oh do not be so harsh on yourself" Katja scoffed, "you were with that woman in her final moments, you would have regretted pursuing the vampire and leaving her to die alone".

Victoria nodded slowly but she brushed the words off, still processing everything that had happened. "Why did you do that?" She asked softly,

Katja looked at her with a cold expression, "you were emotionally weak, I saw an opportunity and I took it, I did no harm, in fact... I helped you" she reminded slyly.

"Yeah..I guess" Victoria replied hesitantly,

"So, you can trust me" the vampire continued, "I gain nothing harming this body".

"I don't care if you hurt me" she replied gruffly, "it's the people around me".

"How...noble" Katja huffed, "regardless, it seems we have reached the end",

The artist perked up immediately and looked at her with suspicion, "end of what exactly?"

"This...co-existence" she replied shortly, "the time you have dreaded is here, it was once Vlad bit you...",

Victoria's eyes widened and she bit her lip anxiously, "your going to use my body as your...vessel now?" She asked anxiously awaiting the answer.

After several tense seconds of silence Katja replied, "no...no I have a better plan". Before the other woman could respond she quickly continued, "we both have something that we want-"

"Wait, what do you think I want" Victoria cut in, "and what could you possibly want?"

Katja scowled at her interruption, "well, of course I want control over this vessel, and to make amends with Vlad of course" she grinned eerily.

This took Victoria by surprise and she raised a brow, "you want to...forgive Alucard?"

"Well of course!" She chirped, "he is my husband after all".

"But not long ago you were so angry at him, he killed you!" She protested, "why the sudden change?"

Katja forced an uncomfortable smile and relaxed in her chair, "I've seen how he has changed, now a much more, hmm... compassionate man I suppose, more...forgiving I suppose" she rambled.

Victoria remain suspicious but brushed it off regardless, "okay...well what is it you think I want?"

"Ah.." Katja grinned, "revenge for your friend",

"I..well..I didn't think about it" Victoria admitted, "she told me to live enough, for the both of us" she recalled repeated the woman's words. "I mean I do want him to pay but-"

"And you should be the one to do it!" Katja beamed, "don't you want his weak sniveling head on a pike?" She encouraged, "to see him writhe and squirm under your foot like the worm he is?!"

Victoria clenched her teeth out of hatred at the thought of the man, "I, well of course but-"

"The pleasure you got from killing Scott, was not only me" the vampire reminded, "do you recall how good it felt? To get your long awaited revenge?"

A small grin split the woman's face, "yes" she hissed eagerly. "It was...amazing",

"Of course!" Katja smiled back, "revenge is by far the best sensation".

Victoria gave it little thought, after all from the moment she saw him disappear into the night still alive, she longed to be the one to kill him and avenge her friend's death. But something continued to bother her, "well, why do I need you? And who would control this body?" She asked bluntly.

"Well" Katja begun irritably, "you cannot defeat a powerful engineered vampire as a weak fledgling vampire, and I doubt Millennium will send him back to the field without a upgrade" she replied. "As for your second question, I am willing to...co-exist, it's far less effort on my part" she confessed.

"This deal seems weighed in my favor" Victoria muttered, "whats the catch?"

"The catch?" Katja muttered, "the catch is that after our deal has been fulfilled, I have this body, forever" she grinned staring at the woman predatorily.

"I don't have much else to lose, all that matters to me now is killing Jake" Victoria growled, "I don't care what happens after".

Katja's consistent grin split wider, "wonderful... but a deal is a deal, there is no going back" she reminded.

"Of course, that also applies to you" Victoria replied bluntly,

"yes, i'm aware" Katja muttered eagerly standing and walking over to the other woman, "but for now...I think it's time for us to wake up".

XxX

Pip and Seras hesitantly walked into the woman's bedroom, the curtains were once again shut and Alucard sat gloomily in the corner.

"Any changes?" Seras asked hopefully,

"No" Alucard replied shortly watching the pair cautiously, Seras scowled and ignored his bad attitude. The pair approached the bed where Victoria lay and Seras examined her state,

"She looks a little less pale?" She suggested.

"Uh, yeah" Pip agreed halfheartedly, "I mean she still looks kinda dead but-"

"Don't say that!" Seras barked glaring at the man. "She's going to be okay!" She reassured herself. Pip nodded his head solemnly in an apologetic manner, before Seras walked over to the bedside table and removed the wilting sunflowers from the empty vodka bottle and replaced them with white roses.

"Much better" the blonde sighed, "she told me how her mother used to put flowers in her room whenever she was sick" Seras mumbled. "The light colors make the room look less like a dungeon" she noted.

"This is the third time police girl" Alucard snarled, "your weeds won't wake her up",

Seras felt a twang in her chest before looking back at the woman. "I know, but I think she'd like it" she mumbled feeling her cheeks flush.

Alucard merely grunted in reply before returning to his idle state, "your wasting your time".

Ignoring his comments once again Seras looked at the women sadly, "please wake up" she begged, "it's awfully boring here without you" she confessed.

"uh Seras we have to go meet with sir Integra" Pip awkwardly cut in. The fledgling took a final sorrowful look at Victoria before silently following Pip out of the dark room.

XxX

Alucard carefully cracked open the curtain, the unpredictable weather of spring was in full force, and the previously hot weather had turned to humid rain. Pushing back the curtain fully he pulled open the window to allow the warm humid spring air to circulate in the room. The distant low rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance as lighting illuminated the clouds nearby. The vampire looked into the distance thoughtfully as he recalled the days when he and Victoria would watch the storms roll over the hillside, while she would capture the scene in watercolor. A smile pulled at his lips and the light pattering of rain turned to a heavy drumming.

"Lovely weather isn't it?" A soft voice beside him muttured, Alucard quickly turned around to see Victoria's paler form standing beside him. His mouth remained wide open in shock as the wind gently blew her dark hair around like drifting smoke, "something wrong?" She asked absently staring at him with her large crimson eyes.

"Your...awake" he replied gruffly still in disbelief,

"Nice...observation" she smiled staring out the window into the rainy hillside, "quite a rest I've had". Groaning softly she stretched her limbs and scratched at the bite wound under her bandage. The vampire was frozen in anticipation, after almost three weeks of waiting, She was finally awake. Her mouth stretched into a wide yawn exposing her long canines before her eyes lazily darted around the room and locked on the makeshift vodka bottle vase of flowers, "very nice" she sighed. The sweet scented air brought a small smile to her lips before she looped her arm around Alucard's and rested her head on his arm affectionately.

"Victoria?" Alucard asked unsurely,

The woman's lips pulled into a mischievous smile. "Perhaps" she mumbled cryptically.

"Are you Victoria or Katja?" He demanded anxiously,

"I have just awoken" she scowled, "leave me be".

Examining her closer as the woman eyed his actions carefully, he noticed her features which had been altered slightly, more sharp and hollowed, and noticed the slight accent in her tone. "Katja..." He growled ripping his arm away from her and reaching into his coat.

She frowned further and turned to face the vampire in shock, "oh Vlad don't be like that" she pouted, "we both know you would not dare to anyway".

The vampire froze, before slowly sliding the weapon back into his coat, "where is Victoria?" He asked coldly.

The vampiress smirked before tapping a clawed finger to her temple, "in here, asleep and well. We have a...agreement, while she rests I will control this vessel". She explained rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Although...I must admit, I hope she does take her time" Katja confessed.

"I need to speak to her" Alucard demanded, "now",

"Hmm after I was so kind to forgive you, you are so rude" she tisked, "my my, how this world has changed, however the greatest change is in you Vl- oh, I suppose it's... Alucard now isn't it?" She snickered.

Ignoring her comment he narrowed his crimson eyes suspiciously, "aren't you still mad at me? Don't you want revenge?"

She shook her head softly, letting her curled hair bounce, "No, I was never mad",

Alucard tentatively increased the distance between them, "What were you?" He muttered,

"Hurt" she replied simply. "Beyond the pain of the knife was the pain of betrayal".

"I was ignorant of my priorities at the time" he reasoned, "I was always somewhat fearful of your power" the vampire confessed.

"Yet here you are, arguably one of the most powerful vampires alive" Katja sneered, "although I suppose I must thank you for this" she remarked coldly before pointing at the bandage around her neck.

"I was attempting to revive Victoria" he reminded shortly,

"Quite the chance you took" the vampiress replied in amusement. "But enough of her" she dismissed, "through her memories I've recalled your conversations. After you murdered me, you had quite the successful rein of our country. Then forward a few centuries, and you became the property of Hellsing" She grinned.

"Regretfully" he growled, "against my wishes"

"Hm of course" she barked, "however, what I waited so many years to know, is but a simple answer to a simple question" Katja grinned slyly. "Did you miss me?"

Alucard scowled and stared into her crimson eyes blankly, "I regret my actions... But I did not miss you" he replied coldly. "Now, let me speak to Victoria" he demanded standing over her threateningly.

Katja's sly smile faded to a genuine frown and she returned to looking out the window, "why do you lie to your wife?" She asked softly, "have you sincerely grown so cold hearted? fate has brought us together again, yet...you cannot get that human off your mind?" The vampiress sneered. "Your loyalties lie with her only because she is a cheap copy of me!" She snarled bearing her pointed teeth.

"Your lying!" He hissed in reply, continuing to glare at the woman,

"No you are!" Katja growled, "you love me! Not her! And you will be mine again!" Turning away from the man she quickly climbed onto the frame of the open window and dug her claws into the wood for support. Playfully rocking backwards and forwards, leaning out the window before rocking inwards a eerie grin pulled at her lips.

Alucard's eyes widened and he quickly rushed forwards to rip her from the window frame, however he stopped when Katja lent further back and let a single hand slip from the frame, "oh I don't think so" she sneered eyeing him mischievously.

"You wouldn't" he challenged, "you put in too much effort obtaining this vessel" Alucard reminded. "It would only heal anyway".

"Hmmm possibly" Katja chimed turning around and leaning forwards out the window, feeling the rain and wind rush past her. "But it is the highest level yes? And there is a rather large metal spiked fence below, I'm sure I could take off our head if I tried!" She sung leaning forwards further, her toes clinging to the edge of the frame.

"Stop this!" Alucard growled, "what is it you want!" He demanded,

Katja looked over her shoulder and a toothy grin once again split her face, "promise that you will be mine again! Forever, and ever, and ever! Till the end of our lives! Just like before!"

Alucard scowled and clenched his teeth, for the first time in moths he felt like genuine distress, and knew he had no other choice. He carefully watched as her toes slid to the edge and her claws reached the end of the frame. Just as the first few fingers left the frame he gave in,

"Fine!" He hissed, "yes I accept!"

Katja gave her widest smile yet and gracefully climbed back inside the room, her wild hair and cotton shift damp with the rain, while the vampire let out a breath he didn't know he had held. Katja quickly padded over to the man and wrapped her cold damp arms around him in a tight hug, before nuzzling into his coat. "Oh I'm so happy you made the right choice!" She giggled rubbing her cheek against him affectionately. Alucard remained stiff and looked away from her form, "hug me back" she growled. Reluctantly he wrapped his long arms around her form, enticing a delighted hum from Katja.

After several minutes the vampiress pulled away and gazed at him dreamily, "ah I'm so glad to be back!" She squealed before twirling a lock of his graying hair between her fingers. "You look awful, you should really feed" she sighed, "speaking of which I'm starving, bring me someone" she demanded.

"We cannot feed on humans" he replied shortly, "and I firstly must inform my master of Victoria's condition".

Katja scowled and clicked her tongue in annoyance, "fine, I shall go too" she muttered, "perhaps I'll find someone on the way".

"Fine" he replied coldly, "let's go".

XxX

Alucard knocked twice on the large oak doors before a voice within beckoned him to enter, "wait here" he instructed.

Katja nodded slowly and sat down against the wall, "I'll be here" she mumbled. Alucard nodded shortly before entering the room and quickly shutting the door behind him. Katja pouted and continued to scratch at the bandage, when suddenly her stomach let out a loud rumble and she was reminded on her inconsolable hunger. To her surprise and luck, Walter had spotted the woman and strode forward eagerly.

"Victoria? Good to see your awake" he smiled kindly, "I shall go inform Sir Integra" he remarked reaching for the door.

"No!" She quickly supplied standing up and blocking his path, "her and Vl-Alucard are talking, he told me to let no one in" she lied. "But could you please show me to the..kitchen..I'm very hungry" she smiled softly.

"Of course!" He replied, "I can imagine after all that time",

"You have no idea" she mumbled following him to the secluded area of the mansion.

XxX

"Katja has informed me that her and Victoria have entered an agreement for..co-ownership of the vessel" Alucard explained reluctantly.

Integra quickly flipped through the journal scanning it's pages for information, "impossible...this won't last" she concluded. "Whats to say it's not just Katja inside?"

"We cannot know until Victoria shows herself" the vampire noted,

"So what do we do until then? Has she proven to be dangerous? Reckless? Homicidal?" Integra listed.

"Somewhat" he replied shortly recalling her earlier actions.

"I believe it is best that we lock her in the cellar until we can see what her state of mind is" Integra concluded, "whats to say she won't try to kill us?"

"Victoria would not let that happen" the vampire protested,

"Your basing that assumption on the fact that she has control" the blonde reminded, "and there is no way to tell if she will still be functioning".

Alucard scowled and glared at the woman, "I will find a way to separate the two".

XxX

"Now that you are a vampire, you will be consuming these pouches of medical blood" Walter explained rummaging through the contents in the fridge. "You are allowed one per day, and two per day if you complete a mission".

"Hmm yes..very interesting" Victoria replied absently eyeing the mans exposed neck. "Can you just.. Retrieve one for me?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course" Walter replied kindly, "your injuries are still bothering you I assume?"

As the butler dug through the fridge Katja crept up behind him, and eagerly for the moment where he would stand up and she tear open his neck. Everything happened in a split second, just as he stood up and Katja felt her teeth graze his flesh she felt herself restrained. Letting out a snarl she tried to advance forward but found thin wires cutting into her arms and legs, just as she snapped her mouth shut Walter calmly moved out of the way.

"Did you really think me that ignorant Katja?" He laughed.

Katja hissed and swiped at him with her claws, "come here!" She snarled struggling against the wires, causing them to cut into her skin. Fat droplets of dark blood traveled from the wire to the floor in small smatterings.

"I don't think so" the butler replied shortly, "while I'm flattered you chose me to be your prey, I must decline".

Katja relaxed against the wires and found them to still remain taunt, "sorry" she huffed. "I'm very hungry, Alucard refused me food" she lied easily.

Walters stern expression softened and he carefully pulled three largest medical blood bags from the fridge and threw them on the table infront of the vampiress. "This is all you may have".

Katja nodded her head in thanks and found that he allowed the wires to relax around her arms, she reached for the bag and tore the top off before downing it in seconds. Throwing the packet aside she scrunched her face up at the taste, "cold and bland" she muttered.

"Yes, Alucard describes it to be that way as well" he noted before noticing him walking towards the pair, "ah speak of the devil" he chuckled quickly retracting the wires.

"I told you to stay there" the vampire remarked sternly.

"I was hungry" she huffed, "very very hungry",

Alucard glanced at the butler, "did she cause trouble?"

"No, none at all" Walter smiled, "perfectly behaved, unlike you" he chuckled.

A smile pulled at the vampires lips before he picked up the blood bags on the table, "let's got Katja" he commanded. The vampiress nodded eagerly, eyeing the bags in his hands hungrily.

XxX

Katja looked around the room and noticed the old brick walls and low ceiling, enticing a frown. "This isn't our room" she huffed feeling the rough stone,

"It is as of today" Alucard replied gruffly setting the bags down on the table nearby.

"Feels like a cell, much like our dungeons yes?" Katja frowned falling onto the single bed, "...tell me something Vlad?"

"What is it?" He huffed taking a chair nearby,

"Did you ever remarry?" Katja mumbled.

Alucard scoffed and crossed his long legs, "of course, a king needs a queen",

"Hm is that so?" Katja huffed irritably. After several seconds of silence and a persistent scowl from them both, a devilish grin pulled at her lips. Sitting up causally, she made sure to get his full attention, "About Walter ear-", suddenly falling silent and limp, she collapsed back onto the bed.

Figuring it was another dramatic stunt he called her attention boredly, "Katja?"

When there was no reply he scoffed and turned back to the table, however after several seconds the woman hesitantly opened her eyes and painfully propped herself up on her elbows, looking around the room anxiously.

"Alucard?" She begun nervously, "where am I? What happened?" She called tiredly rubbing her eyes.

The vampires eyes widened and he quickly rushed to her side, "...Victoria?" He asked in disbelief.

The woman looked into his eyes shyly, "yeah, what is it? Where am I? Please Alucard I can't remember" she begged wrapping her arms around herself for comfort.

She was taken by surprise when the vampire wrapped her in a tight embrace, "you are safe now" he gruffly comforted.

The woman wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his soft coat comfortably, "can't I leave" She asked shakily squeezing him tighter.

"No, I am sorry you cannot" he apologized beginning to pet her hair softly,

"Stay with me then?" She sniffed looking into his sympathetic eyes.

"Of course" he replied simply before gently laying her down and covering her with his coat, before laying beside her. The small bed forcing the together,

"Thank you" she whispered.

"Mhm" he hummed before beginning to stroke her hair again, settling down into the comfort of his embrace, Katja let another eerie grin split her face.

'So easily fooled!' She thought triumphantly enjoying his embrace.

* * *

To be honest I'm not crazy about this chapter, It was rewritten several times but I believe this to be the best draft. However I thought it important to first introduce Katja, you'll see why later :^).

**also, whenever Katja or Victoria says 'we' they are referring to both themself and the other woman as they are essentially the same person. **


	24. Chapter 24 - The dove with broken wings

Firstly, i'd like to apologize for being trash and taking so long to update, with the 'holiday season' going on i've been given tons of extra shifts at work and therefore not had a lot of time to write, so thank you for being patient :V

Secondly, i'd like to thank everyone for 20,500 views, it really means a lot to me as well as the fact that i'm over 100 followers! so thank you guys so much.

thank you for reading, please enjoy :^)

(also sorry about any grammer/spelling errors, this was edited at 3am lmao)

* * *

The vampiress sat on the edge of the windowsill letting her leg hang off the edge freely, the cool air washing over her body in a refreshing manor. The sun was just rising and she watched on dreamily as the light slowly washed over the buildings below, "You know, it was rather kind of Integra to let me out" she noted casually.

"She only wanted Katja in there not you" Alucard replied shortly,

A smile pulled at the woman's lips, "of course, a wise choice".

"Indeed. You appear to be surprisingly well considering what happened" he remarked suddenly,

She gave him a puzzled expression before a soft smile pulled at her lips, "Hm, yes well I should hope so"

Climbing down from the window she collapsed onto her own large bed, "ah I've missed this bed!" She sighed.

Alucard nodded shortly in reply before quickly shutting the curtains as the suns light begun to penetrate the room, "is that all?"

"Are you asking if I've missed you?" She snickered sitting up slowly, "of course I have!" The woman replied. "Very, very, very much".

"Really...how much" The vampire asked slyly,

"Enough to forgive you" she deadpanned,

Alucard's grin faded and was replaced with a confused stare ,"Forgive me of what exactly?"

She quickly snapped her mouth shut and cursed mentally, "uh for... Um..." She trailed off searching for a memory. "Stealing my blood pouches!" She quipped, "very rude of you dear" she teased.

The vampires nodded slowly in understanding, but his face remained stern, "I'm sure they will be replaced".

"Uh yes I suppose" she laughed nervously in reply, now fiddling with her hair anxiously. "we should drop this subject, the sun has risen and I am tired, let us retire".

"You go ahead, I have something to attend to first" he replied absently,

The vampiress hummed in reply climbing under the sheets and retiring in their comfort. Closing her eyes she still felt the blank stare of Alucard upon on, cursing her mess up she mulled over her options.

XxX

Seras sat hunched in her chair, staring into the depths of her hot chocolate. The cafe atmosphere was as quiet and calm as always, making her feel out of place with her muddled chaotic thoughts.

"Somezing on your mind?" Pip quipped continuing to dump sugar into his coffee,

After hesitation Seras looked up from her drink and stared at the man tiredly. "Well.. yes..can you keep a secret?" She whispered,

"Of course! What iz it?" He grinned eagerly leaning across the table.

The fledgling scowled and pushed her drink to the side, "it's about Victoria".

Pips grin fell and he sighed, "oh, yeah? what about 'er?" He replied flatly,

The blonde ignored his disappointment and leant back in her chair, "well... To be honest... I don't think it's her, she's so...different".

Pip burst out in a fit of laughter, "what do you mean not 'er?!" He snorted,

"I mean.." Seras begun sternly, "her behaviors are way too... out of character".

"Well she could have brain damage" the mercenary snickered, "I mean it's pos-",

"Can you be serious for one minute!" Seras barked standing from her seat suddenly. "She's my best friend and I'm worried about her! You might not like her but I do!"

He stopped laughing immediately and snapped his mouth shut sinking back into his chair in shame. Meanwhile the rest of the cafe had their puzzled stares fixed on the couple and the chatter and clicking of plates usual of the scene fell silent,

"Sorry...go on" he replied meekly eyeing the other customers in embarrassment.

Seras nodded shortly and sat down hurriedly, "thank you" she huffed. "As I was saying... She's acting weird... I don't think it's her" she admitted.

"Surely Alucard would have noticed" Pip scoffed, "he was pretty excited when she woke up, do you want to be za one to tell 'em?"

"That's the thing" Seras cut in, "I suppose he's so caught up in the excitement he hasn't taken the time to check it's actually her!"

Pip nodded solemnly, "well I suppose it's hard for zhem to have a conversation, always... "

"Yes yes I know" Seras chirped feeling her face flush.

"Seems everywhere you go in the mansion zey are zhere!" Pip sighed, "always...".

"Uh yes...but that's something else.. Victoria told me she didn't like him that way" the blonde replied quickly. "And she certainly wouldn't act that way in public".

"Well people change, she's been through a lot, maybe zhis is just her now?"

Seras frowned and pulled the drink back in front of her, feeling alone in her suspicions she didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Yeah, okay... Forget I brought it up" she sighed.

"Alright" Pip replied casually, "now, what movie did you want to see?"

Seras shrugged a replied and looked at her image in the drink once again, even it reflected her blank stare and concerned expression. 'I'll prove it to everyone' she promised, 'that's not my friend...'

XxX

Integra continuously flicked through the book in front of her, frowning deeply she quickly snapped in shut and threw it into the growing pile beside her. "Hopeless" she sighed, "not another scrap of information anywhere".

Seras shuffled awkwardly and waited for the woman to pay attention to her, "uh, Sir?" She begun timidly,

"Yes, what is it" Integra sighed discarding another book, "I'm very busy right now".

"Yes... yes I know of course" the fledgling paled, "but it's important, and I wanted to talk to you about it..now please".

Sighing loudly the woman looked up from the papers infront of her and glared at the girl, "Seras" she begun lowly, "we are on the verge of a war with hybrid vampire Nazi's, I have a freshly made ancient vampire reincarnate running about, a severe lack of information on said vampire, and now, you bothering me".

Seras felt her cheeks flush heavily and hung her head in shame, "sorry Sir, I'll come back later".

"Fine" Integra snapped burying herself in the books and paperwork once again. Seras then silently left the room, making sure to shut the door quietly and avoid her wrath again.

"Is she still as irritable?" Walter asked calmly,

Jumping at his voice the blonde spun around on her heels and was relieved to see the butler. "Yes, she's very upset, I think all this work is getting to her" she confessed.

"Ah I see, I suppose now is not the time to bring in her dinner" the butler sighed gesturing to the cart beside him,

Seras nodded shortly, "well, as long as your not busy then, can I talk to you about something?"

Walter smiled kindly and motioned to the nearby sitting room, "of course Seras".

Relieved someone would finally listen to her she walked hurriedly in the room and sat down eagerly, "well it's about Victoria" she begun in a hurried low whisper.

The butler crossed his legs and nodded knowingly, "yes, there is an issue I agree",

"Ah finally someone agrees with me!" She chirped.

"Well how could I not?" He asked, "I've caught her in...awkward situations several times".

Seras's grin fell and she frowned, "no! This isn't about her and Alucard's relationship!" She huffed.

"Her and Alucard?" He begun unsurely, "no I was sure it was one of the geese..."

The fledglings eyes widened and she gasped in surprise, she now knew that this women defiantly wasn't Victoria. "Walter...that's not Victoria, she wouldn't..." she whispered,

"Preposterous, I saw her painting just the other day. She seemed back to her cheerful old self" he smiled, "to be truthful, I am glad she is back, Katja is rather...unpleasant".

Ignoring his comment she let herself frown deeply, "no..it's defiantly not her...why does no one believe me?"

Walter gave a slow nod and placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder, "listen Seras, you've grown very close to Victoria, and now, that she's in a relationship she's less available, it's possible you're just upset because you feel as if she has been stolen from you".

"I-I what?" Seras gaped, "n-no! That's not it! Your not listening!"

"No, I have been" Walter muttered, "and I can see that your obviously upset that you don't have her all to yourself, and that is okay Seras, it is normal for your age" he reassured.

Seras wanted to scream, 'why will no one listen! Is this some joke to everyone!' She thought. Sensing that she would get no where with the butler she sighed in defeat, "yes, you're right".

He nodded in reply and stood up slowly, "I'm glad I could help, I would also recommend you talk to her" he advised.

'Finally, some good advice' she noted. "Yeah, I'll do that, thanks" she sighed.

"Anytime" he smiled kindly before leaving to continue with dinner.

Meanwhile the fledgling buried her head in her hands and let out a short frustrated huff, 'this is ridiculous' she thought angrily, 'I have to do this myself then'.

XxX

She felt her eyes flicker open just as the sun was beginning to set and the sky had been dyed a beautiful mixture of pinks, purples and oranges. A small smile pulled at her lips as eyed the sky in awe, but it didn't last long before a scowl appeared on her face. The man beside her shifted in sleep and tightened his grip on her torso, grunting in annoyance she pulled his arm off hurriedly, finding herself to be irritated with his increasing clingyness.

Pulling a shirt on over her head she eagerly climbed out of bed and pulled open the curtains to fully expose the sunset.

Alucard cracked open an eye and stared at the window with disdain "Close it" he growled tiredly.

Frowning she reluctantly snapped shut the curtains and sat on the edge of the bed, "you are no fun, you know that? Never allowed me to do anything".

the vampire grunted and allowed himself to sit up, "no fun hmm? never allow you to do anything?" He replied slyly,

The vampiress continued to stare out the window watching the sky progressively darken, "I'm just saying you have changed I su-", stopping she felt something soft and heavy land on her thigh. quickly turning to look at the face of a black dog with crimson eyes.

Wagging it's tail lazily expecting a pleased reaction from the woman, his face fell when she let out a shriek and quickly scrambled away from the beast. "G-get away from me!" She growled.

The dog snarled briefly and quickly reverted to human form, "You now have a hatred of dogs?" He asked irritably.

Realizing her mistake it felt as if thee world had frozen and her heart skipped a beat. 'i've made too many mistakes, i'm getting too comfortable' she noted. Quickly plastering a false smile on her face, she laughed, "I was joking! don't you get it?" She asked panic lacing her voice, "you just surprised me!".

The vampires face fell to it's normal stoic expression and he eyed her suspiciously, "no, I do not.. get it".

"ah just feeling a little bit tired, I will go get some fresh air" she squeaked quickly pulling on her robe and throwing the blanket away from her side of the bed. "I'm going out" she piped quickly escaping the situation.

XxX

Slamming the door behind her the woman made no attempt to be quiet, no caring for his tendency to sleep in. Walking down the corridor she hurriedly walked past the various rooms until Seras called for her,

"Victoria! Victoria can I talk to you please?" Seras sighed looking at the women with a pleading expression.

The vampiress clicked her teeth together in annoyance not bothering to hasten her pace, "not now sarah! I am not in the mood for you!" She barked.

Seras felt another pang in her chest and immediately stopped following the woman, instead choosing to let her disappear down the hall, feeling tears cloud her eyes she let out a shuttering exhale. "Its Seras" she whispered, "Seras".

XxX

Finally reaching her destination the woman flung open the balcony doors and collapsed onto the chair beside the small table. Burying her head in her hands she could feel the pressure that had been persisting over the past few days becoming unbearable, the barrier between the two personalities blurring. Grinding her teeth together she let out a shuttering sob and hastily tried to wipe away the steady trail of red tears. Feeling her mind fade slowly into unconsciousness she slumped over onto the table and let her vision fade to black.

Upon opening her eyes, the vampiress was met with the cold stare of Victoria, hurriedly sitting up in the wooden chair she attempted to return the stare, but turned away in shame.

"Whats wrong Katja?" Victoria asked coldly,

"Oh Victoria" Katja huffed, "what do you want?"

"You've suppressed me for awhile, but I've been able to see everything you've been doing" she hissed, "and you've been very very bad".

"It is just a bit of fun" Katja reasoned, "we, nor anyone else got hurt",

"But that's where you're wrong, you almost bit Walter, you've been cheating on Alucard and that solider, and neglecting Seras. You are doing a bad job of playing me" she spat digging her nails into the chair.

"Amusing how no one can tell the difference" Katja grinned, "not even Alucard is any the wiser".

"because he wants the physical form, I'm sure he could care less about the mind" Victoria barked, "and honestly, the two of you, you must find another hobby, it's disgusting".

Katja frowned and sunk into the chair, "well, he seemed much more content when he thought you had returned-"

"Katja that was a cruel trick, you shouldn't play with someone's emotions that way, especially to get him to love you again" Victoria replied sternly, "besides, he would have found out eventually, what where you hoping for? That he would accept you anyway?.

"He would have forgotten about you by then" She snorted, "but yes, it was rather cruel I suppose, but I did get my, what do you say? Ah karma! he is far too clingy, I never get a moment alone".

Victoria nodded slowly, "well we shared memories, you should've foreseen this",

"Yes, well I didn't expect it to this degree, I do not want him now" she confessed, "I've had my fun, I wish to rest for awhile" she admitted.

"Hmm real life too tough for you? Giving up already?" She taunted, "I thought you would never give up".

"You have only just regained the power to awaken yourself Victoria, I will return, but for now, I think I will leave you to clean up my mess" she grinned.

"You truly are a cruel woman" Victoria noted, "but as long as I get my revenge, I don't care" she admitted.

"Hm I thought so" Katja replied shortly looking around the room to see it now consisted of many filled easels and sketches covering the wall. The decaying chairs replaced with wooden outdoor chairs along with a crude milk crate table.

"My old art room" Victoria announced, "your room is from your castle, the...sitting room" she recalled.

"Yes, it was where I spent a majority of my days" she sighed, "you saw?"

"We shared all major memories" Victoria reminded, "your life has been very interesting".

"I should hope so" Katja scoffed, "but enough of this, someone is approaching, hurry up and switch with me".

Victoria nodded shortly before walking over to the woman, "now I have to fix your fuck ups" she growled, "thank me later".

XxX

"Miss Victoria?" Walters voice called worryingly, after no response from the unconscious woman he quickly rushed to her side, "Victoria are you alright?" He asked again gently shaking her. Still after no response his worried expression turned to panicked one, "hold on I'll fetch Alucard" he quipped rushing off.

From within the dark depths of her mind the woman could hear the distant calling of the man, finally finding the connection to reality she forced open her eyes and took a large unnecessary gulp of air. Not yet having enough strength to lift her head off the table, she was just able to make out the man rushing away. Victoria attempted to lift her arm but found her whole body to be weak from fatigue, 'whats happening?' She thought in panic.

'I must apologize, it seemed me being in your body for so long has caused some...fatigue' Katja sighed, 'just, how do you say? Walk it off?'

Groaning Victoria gathered all her strength and was slowly able to sit upright, observing her surroundings she barely remembered Katja bringing them here. "Go away" she hissed through clenched teeth,

'Fine' Katja snorted, 'but soon you'll be begging for me back'. After that the static and woman's voice in her mind silenced, causing another breath of relief.

Blinking slowly she ran her tongue over the sharp canines, "no more food, being awake during the day, alcohol, or normal life... Or Alex" she muttered listing off the changes. At the thought of her friend her chest tightened significantly, "it'll be worth it" she reassured, remembering her promise for revenge. Caught up in her gloomy thoughts she jumped at Walter and Alucard racing through the door,

"I thought you said she was unconscious Walter" Alucard asked irratibly, "I was in the middle of something".

"No no no she was!" He defended eyeing the woman with curiosity, to which she gave a blank stare. "Weren't you?" He asked,

Victoria shrugged meekly, "I..don't know? Maybe"

Alucard raised a brow at her raspy voice, "your voice.." He trailed off examining her,

She attempted to clear her throat but found it sore and parched, "she faked it pretty good huh, even swapped the accent" she replied cynically, "you couldn't even remember how it sounded, her attempt was awful".

Both men widened their eyes at the realization that they had been tricked, Walter who was the first to speak let the words tumble from his mouth freely, "she tricked us? Katja was pretending to be you? This whole time?" He asked is disbelief,

"Yes" she hissed, "I apologise I couldn't stop her, she has done some awful things".

"How can we be sure we aren't being tricked again" Alucard spoke up coldly, staring at her with what resembled anger.

"Im a bit angry you couldn't tell Alucard, it seemed what she had told me was true" Victoria hissed, "why was everyone so easily tricked?! Did none of you bother to try and know me?"

Walter looked down in shame but offered no excuse, meanwhile Alucard continued to have a stern expression on his face, presumably still unconvinced. However at Victoria's words it shame crossed into his expression.

"God I wished I had died on the dirty club floor next to Alex, if this is how I'm treated and thought of around here" she sniffed letting the tears that clouded her eyes cascade down her cheeks.

"Oh Victoria you don't mean that" Walter offered softly, "I near saw much of her, much less interacted with her".

"Don't try to save yourself" the vampiress barked, "it was three weeks, three whole fucking weeks and you guys had no clue...Did you all think so low of me that you didn't question her actions?" Slowly and shakily standing from the table. Leaning heavily on the banister for support she made her way to the mansion, "if anyone plans on trying to make amends with me right now, fucking don't, I'm not in the mood!" She hissed slowly making her way to her room.

Walter and Alucard stood in stunned silence, Walter thought to ask the vampire about the situation but he could practically hear his teeth grinding and decided against it.

"How dare she..." Alucard snarled,

Walter frowned "Who Victoria? Be kind to her Alucard she's been through a-"

"No" he cut off the butler, "Katja, how dare she" he spat, "still attempting to trick me".

Walter opened his mouth to argue with the vampire, or to comfort him, but decided against his words and snapped it shut. What could be even said in this situation, there were no comforting words as far as he was concerned.

XxX

Victoria dived onto the plush bed and buried her head into the pillow, let going out a long satisfying scream, something she hadn't done since she was a teenager. However after her dry throat forced out the scream, dry heavy sobs escaped from her chest, while tears spilled from her eyes and moistened the pillow.

"I hate you Katja! I fucking hate you!" She screamed into the pillow, "you've ruined my life!"

To her surprise Katja remained silent, although it ended up making the woman feel more alone since it was her that had pushed all her friends away.

After several minutes of heavy sobbing she rolled over and was shocked when she saw her tears a dark red stain on the pillow, "I'm a monster" she sobbed. Before burying her face into the clean pillow beside her, only to find out that it retained Alucard's scent, 'what have we done' she thought wiping her eyes lazily. Inhaling the scent she could now pick up every different component, although gunpowder, dirt and pine stood out the most, she could remember Katja's memories of their time together and guilt weighed down her mind.

While her head remained buried in the soft cotton of the pillows, she didn't notice Alucard enter the room, until the bed dipped beside her. Choosing to remain motionless she hoped they would think her asleep and leave her alone, however the vampire chose to gently shake her awake.

Victoria offered a growl and rolled away from him, "go away" she sniffed,

"I don't believe you Katja" he explained lowly, "bring Victoria back now". She didn't miss the slight anger in his tone and thought it rather unfair he was angry with her, when it was he she was infuriated by.

"She's resting, it's just me" she spat, "now go away",

"No, bring her out" he demanded.

"It's me you idiot" She barked suddenly sitting up, "I can see everything she does and did, I'm sorry she hurt you but you've hurt me too".

"How?" He snarled glaring at hers,"you have tricked me for sympathy once, what's not to say you'll do it again?!"

Victoria tried to meet his stare but couldn't bare to look at his crimson eyes, they bought up too many bad memories for her liking, instead she chose to look at her balled up hands shyly. "I couldn't stop her...she used my body...we had a deal but..I screamed at her, tried to make her stop. She tricked me, she promised to be responsible".

Alucard noted her avoiding gaze and sneered, under the impression she couldn't look him in the eyes after what had happened. "You're lying, Katja stop this immediately"

Victoria dug her nails into her palm and felt the tears cloud her eyes once again, "Alucard it's me, I swear, I, everything that we did...it was her... I-I don't feel that way" she stammered quickly wiping her eyes.

"Lies" he hissed now standing over her threateningly, "Katja...bring out Victoria or I will hurt you",

The artist quickly scrambled away from him and glanced at his face which was distorted with anger, "I'm sorry, but it wasn't me" she protested, "please, leave me alone".

"Not untill I talk to her!" He barked suddenly grabbing the woman's wrist and yanking her to her feet, however he overestimated her weight and the woman fell to the floor.

The vampire let out a frustrated huff before pulling her to her feet by her other wrist roughly,

Victoria let out a started gasp before struggling against his grip, "please let me go!" She squeaked. "This isn't you, please stop!" She cried desperately trying to pull away,

"No!" He snarled pulling the woman closer while increasing the grip and forcing her to look at him. Victoria avoided his harsh glare as much as possible and continuously raked her nails down his arms trying to break free. "Look at me whore!" He snarled grabbing the woman's jaw and roughly turning her head to face him. However her once red eyes were now their usual dark colour with a thin ring of crimson on the outside, they were filled with betrayal and red tears streamed down her cheeks, while her lip trembled in fear.

Alucard examined her eyes with confusion before quickly releasing her from his grip, his mouth parted in shock while Victoria quickly brought her wrist to her chest, feeling the bones inside heal. "Victoria..I'm-" he begun in an apologetic tone,

"GO!" She hissed, "don't come near me again!" She hiccuped scrambling away from the man. "I hate you!"

Alucard felt a painful throb in his chest, and looked at the terrified woman in horror, "I'm sorry" he frowned. Walking towards the woman slowly, as if approaching a startled animal, however she took several steps back for his every step forward.

"GO AWAY!" She snarled, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Victoria, I didn't mean to, I thought you were Katja.." He explained in a soft but hurt tone,

The woman looked down at her arm which remained painful and bruised, "you've never hurt me before now..."

Ignoring her comment he continued to inch his way forward offering apologies and comforting sincerities, however as soon as Victoria's back hit the wall behind her, her dark eyes grew wide and she desperately looked around for an exit.

Alucard saw her eye the door and swiftly moved to block her path, "let me talk" he begged,

As the space between them closed Victoria's senses searched for any escape, paralyzed in fear she heard Walter striding down the hall outside. As soon as Alucard placed his gloved hand on her arm she let out a scream, "WALTER! WALTER HELP!"

Shortly after the door burst open and the butler rushed into the room, "Victoria what is it?!"

"Get him away from me!" She begged pushing against the vampire with her good arm, "make him leave!"

Walter looked at Alucard in confusion who merely sighed and backed away from the woman, "it's fine I'll go" he replied in a gravelly tone.

As soon as the vampire left Victoria ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, the butler could hear the soft sobs of the woman outside.

"Whats wrong Victoria?" He asked softly knocking on the door,

"I-I don't want to talk about it yet" she wept, "just please keep him away".

The butler frowned but accepted the request regardless, "I will do my best",

"Thank you" she sniffed.

XxX

Seras took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door, a pile of letters under her arm and a blood pouch in the other. She didn't know why Integra assigned her this task, but all she knew was Victoria was back and forbade Alucard from coming near her.

After three more successive knocks and door slowly opened to reveal Victoria laying on her bed reading a book in the darkness.

"Hi Victoria, I'm glad you're back" Seras confessed walking over to the woman,

"Seras" she begun in an apologetic tone, "im sorry she ignored you and was so mean".

the blonde smiled, "thank you, but it wasn't you, it's her I hate",

"Walter tells me that you were the only person who suspected Katja was pretending to be me" Victoria recalled. "You were right, thank you Seras, you were the only one who noticed".

"Well it was obvious" she blurted out before biting her tounge, realising that it was a sensitive subject. "Ah..um...anyway we had your mail address changed" she explained dumping the letters beside her.

"Thanks" she smiled putting down the book and sifting through the letters, opening each and looking at the contents boredly.

After a heavy silence Seras cleared her throat and looked at the wound on the woman's wrist, "did...master do that to you?" She asked softly.

Looking up from a letter she nodded slowly, "Yesterday when I properly awoke he didn't believe it was actually me, he thought hurting me would get 'Katja' to confess" she explained cooly.

The fledgling let her mouth hang open but struggled to find the right words, "oh Victoria I'm sorry, he's a jerk sometimes".

Ripping open another letter violently she snorted, "ha sometimes? He's a psychopath".

Seras ignored her comment and instead chose to change the subject, "so what'd you get?"

"Mostly bills and junk mail" she explained boredly flicking through the envelopes, "oh my exam results!" She exclaimed quickly tearing open the paper and pulling open the letter.

"And?" Seras asked excitedly,

"Sixty eight percent" she frowned.

Seeing her scowl Seras let out a sigh, "oh well that's still a good score" she mumbled,

"No it's shit" Victoria protested throwing the paper aside, "fucking Alucard distracted me every time I studied" she cursed.

"Oh..uh" she mumbled, "well it's okay because you work here anyway" she reminded the woman cheerfully.

"I think Integra may need a new medic" Victoria sighed,

"Why? Don't you like it anymore?" Seras cried, "you were so good!"

"Thank you, but there is an issue..." she trailed off, "I don't think she will let me be around wounded bloody soldiers anymore".

"Wait wh-" the blonde cut herself off, "oh, because you're a vampire now" she sighed.

"Mhmm, so I'm not sure where I sit here" she admitted, "I should ask her about it".

"We can go later if you want" Seras offered before picking up a peach colored envelope that had fallen onto the floor, "oh you missed one" she remarked handing her the letter.

Victoria tore open the letter and quickly scanned the contents, "it's from Alex's parents" she muttered.

"Oh" is all Seras could say, "uh, what is it?"

"I missed the funeral because of the coma, but they invited me to bury the ashes" Victoria mumbled, "it's tomorrow".

"Are you going?" Seras asked softly,

"Of course" the artist let out a shuttering sigh, "can you come with me please?"

Seras gave her a kind reassuring smile, "of course".

XxX

After several hours of chatting with the blonde Victoria remembered the blood pouch beside her, quickly tearing the top off she sipped the contents lazily. Seras who was in the middle of recalling her date with Pip, froze and suddenly looked away awkwardly,

"oh shit i'm sorry" Victoria cursed quickly finishing the contents and throwing the empty bag aside, "it probably makes you uncomfortable huh".

"a little" Seras confessed, "it's stupid I know its just...I don't know.."

"no no, it's okay" Victoria quickly supplied, "I understand".

Seras nodded gratefully and smiled, "thank you, i'm getting better but... i'm not at that level yet I suppose. How do you do it?"

"ah well the taste isn't all the bad, plus if you chug it quickly and don't think about it much, it just tastes like you licked a coin or something" she shrugged letting out a small laugh.

"well, it's something to try," Seras replied, "oh that reminds me, there has been an incident".

"hm? what kind? is it to do with the upcoming War I know nothing about?" she asked cynically, "because I figure now I may be a large part of it".

the blonde gave a hesitant nod, "yes, we think you might be. But recently the vampire know as Rip Van Winkle has commandeered a large warship, she has also filled it with freak vampires" she explained anxiously.

"hm remind me to ask Integra about where I sit with the war" the artist noted, "and she is confined to the ship yes? I recall someone telling me Vampires can't cross oceans without a plane or boat".

"well yes, that's true, but Sir Integra is planning on sending Master out to take out everyone aboard, but along with the issue of the their firepower, he will be stuck until the boat docks" Seras explained,

"pfft sounds fine with me" Victoria snorted before seeing Sera's worried expression, "oh sorry... but surely there's a way, a jet or something?"

Seras perked up immediately and nodded enthusiastically "huh, that might work, i'll talk to her about it",

"well anyway, when is he scheduled to leave?" she asked casually,

"it happened late yesterday, so as soon as possible I suppose, Integra is in the meeting now so once they find a way to get him there he will leave" Seras replied.

Victoria frowned at the realization that she truly had no idea what was happening, "ah I see, how long will he be gone?"

"a few days I think he said" the fledgling recalled, "but It depends on how long the ship ride takes".

The woman frowned and found herself filled with concern for the man, not that she was willing to show it, "do you think he could be killed?"

"I can't say for sure, but he has survived some really terrible things" Seras sighed, "are you worried about him?"

"no, defiantly not" Victoria lied, "you're right, he'll be fine".


	25. Chapter 25 - Three letters

**sorry again for delays in chapters, I don't know if I've mentioned this but i'm a beta reader for several people (not on here) but that has kept me very busy. Also i'm not gonna lie but i've been lacking motivation to write lately, however I finish this story even if it kills me. **

BornRose2 : thank you so much! I try to mix it up a little not going to lie :P

_**ALSO I FORGOT TO INCLUDE THIS IN THE LAST CHAPTER, BUT HAPPY HOLIDAY'S EVERYONE! :^)**_

* * *

Victoria crossed her arms and stared at the stained patch of carpet in front of her, she didn't want to look up at Integra's pity filled gaze which was locked on her. The blonde cleared her throat roughly and leaned forward onto her desk, "Victoria? Are you taking this all in?"

"I-I am" Victoria sputtered quickly looking up, "I just...what do I do? Who will replace me?"

"Victoria" she begun in a sympathetic tone, "much has happened to you, physically and mentally, frankly I'm surprised you're still sane" she confessed. "But...you are now a vampire, an undead creature that feasts on human blood, naturally I cannot allow you to be around wounded soldiers".

"You think I'll lose control and kill them" Victoria huffed,

"No, not you per-say.." Integra trailed off. "I believe, Katja would only do such a thing".

"How would you know what she would do" Victoria barked, "a few days ago you couldn't tell us apart!"

Integra merely scowled, "Are you still stuck on this issue? I don't like this new attitude of yours, I've gotten complaints you've become aggressive and difficult to work with".

"Oh yeah?" The artist scoffed, "it was one of the fucking geese wasn't it? Just because that idiot thought he could-"

"Enough" Integra snapped, "our tolerance will only go so far, you are testing our patience with your actions, you are lucky we have allowed you to live!"

Victoria snapped her mouth shut and grit her teeth in frustration, knowing the woman had a point and under most circumstances she would've be killed. "Yes sir" she muttered.

Integra ignored the woman's comment before continuing, "Moving on, you are aware of Millenniums plans of war I'm sure, but now, we will tell you your part in this".

"What part? As far as we are concerned this is between Alucard and the Nazis or whatever, maybe the Vatican will get in there somewhere too from what I've heard" Victoria muttered.

"Regardless of your views, you are now one of Hellsing's vampire soldiers, and while we don't have sufficient time to train you to be on the front lines, I'm sure we can place you in defence" Integra explained sternly.

"What of Seras" Victoria quipped, "where will she be?"

"I'm sure Seras has informed you Alucard being placed on the enemy warship," Integra explained, "as for Seras she will be placed with the Geese".

"So I'm alone?" Victoria gasped, "I'll be killed!"

"Unlikely" Integra replied, "but a possibility, as it is with everyone in this war, sometimes..you have to make sacrifices Victoria".

"We don't want to be in the war" the vampiress sighed, "it's not fair-"

"Of course it isn't!" Integra snapped once again, "do you think anyone wants to be apart of it?! Do you think we want to face two enemy armies? No! How selfish of you to say such things when you by far, have the easiest and safest position!"

After Integra had finished her rant the air was filled with a heavy silence, and Victoria looked at the floor in shame. "Sorry sir I didn't think-"

"That's right, you didn't think, and after I came all the way back here to talk to you about this issue you refuse to co-operate! " Integra barked, "now I suggest you make amends with Alucard as you won't see him for awhile. While you're at it, say goodbye to half of the geese, I doubt you'll see most of them alive again".

"Yes sir, sorry sir" she mumbled,

"Now, if you excuse me I have to go back to the conference immediately" Integra barked pointing to the ajar door, "go bother Seras".

Victoria dragged her heavy feet to the door, not bothering to look back. "Yes sir".

XxX

Alucard dragged his feet down the basement stairs and tiredly searched for his room, where he would inevitably spend the few hours of his day before boarding the jet later. However as he walked down the hall he noticed the usually sealed door next to Seras's room slightly ajar, curiosity enticing him to look inside he slowly pushed open the door to find Walter hunched over a small book.

"What do you have there Walter?" He inquired smoothly,

The butler jumped at his voice and quickly snapped the book shut, "oh, uh nothing" he muttered standing in front of the table to hide the item.

Alucard scowled and gently pushed past the butler who with reluctance moved to the side, exposing the medium sized paint covered book. "Please don't tell her, I did not know what it was" he confessed.

"You looked through her sketchbook?" He replied in amusement picking up the item, "hardly a crime, she leaves it lying around everywhere". Flicking through the pages he could tell the definite transition in her work, her most recent work he found it lacked colour, and consisted of heavy bold, violent strokes of a brush or pencil. Still creating a lovely image, but it was a definite difference from her previous colourful sunset studies.

"She's very talented" Walter remarked fondly,

"Indeed, she would have had a successful future in art" the vampire noted setting down the book gently.

"About what happened between you too-" Walter begun,

"It's nothing" Alucard dismissed, "she just needs time to sort through her erratic emotions".

The butler frowned at his comment, noting the vampire took little responsibility for his actions, however wishing to avoid and argument he agreed. "I'm sure" he sighed, "now, excuse me as I finish setting up her room".

"Of course" he replied dryly before continuing to his room.

XxX

Seras gently pushed open the metal door, the squeaking echoing through the small narrow hallway before flipping on the light switch, the small room was immediately filled with a flickering light. "Walter had been preparing this room for awhile" Seras explained, "I know it's a downgrade but-"

"No, no it's fine" Victoria cut her off suddenly, "vampires get hidden away in the basement, I get it" she droned gloomily before entering the room. The low ceiling, narrow grey stone walls, and lack of widows made her feel as if she were in a dungeon. Walking over to the other side of the room she gently nudged the wooden coffin with her foot, "looks comfortable" she muttered sarcastically.

"Oh no it's really not that bad" Seras reassured walking around the room, "maybe some posters, and a couch... maybe potted plants?"

"It's a dungeon" she snorted collapsing on the small wooden chair nearby, "and it always will be".

Seras sighed and glanced at the woman before taking the chair nearby, "well, how about we go shopping?" She offered, "maybe I can help...cheer it up a bit?"

"Thanks Seras" Victoria replied halfheartedly, not particularly keen on the offer. "But, I'm only here during the day I suppose, and extension cord for my phone charger will be fine" she replied laying her head on her arms.

Seras's smile faded and a crease formed on her brow, "oh okay, well is there anything I can help with? You seems kinda upset?"

"I talked to Integra, she yelled at me a lot, I don't know...we just got angry at the things she was saying I guess" Victoria confessed.

"Wait, we?" Seras repeated confused,

"Katja and I" Victoria replied flatly.

Victoria referring to herself and Katja as one being unnerved the fledgling but she ignored the comment anyway. "Integra is under a lot of stress, she's been yelling at everyone don't worry" the blonde reassured, "give it a few hours and she'll be fine".

"Well I'll worry about it later, it's not like Millennium's knocking on the door yet. As for now I have a funeral to attend, help me pick an outfit? " Victoria sighed walking over to her dresser and dumping a large pile of clothes on the table. "I don't know what to chose".

The fledgling wanted to smile at her request, that she was finally responsive today, but the thoughtful and yet sadly blank look on the artist's face found her feeling the same. It was a depressing day for many after all.

XxX

Victoria looked into the dirty mirror that sat on her dresser and slowly buttoned her blouse, the shaking in her hands stronger than ever. "why am I so nervous?" She asked herself, feeling her throat burn and voice crack, the threat of crying evident.

'Its because you feel guilty' Katja replied flatly,

The artist now used to her voice barely jumped, "I did everything I could" she reassured herself, "she was too far gone".

'No, you think you could have saved her foolish girl' she scolded, 'every night since you have been conscious, every moment you regr-'.

"Stay out of my thoughts!" She hissed, "just go away! I'm busy",

'It is not like I wish to hear them' Katja defended, 'but your sorrow for her loss is so loud'.

Victoria was at a loss for words, her shaking hands fell limp and rested at her side, Katja was right and the artist knew it. After several minutes of silence between them Victoria looked at her reflection in the mirror, only then she noticed the thin ring of crimson lining her dark eyes had thickened, only by mere millimeters, but still noticeable.

"What are you doing Katja?!" She growled staring into her own reflection's eyes with hatred, "just leave me alone, you've had your fun just let me live" The artist begged.

'You cannot keep pushing me away Victoria' Katja warned, 'we are the same person...you and I'.

Victoria let out a long shuttering sigh, "I know, just...today...let me have today Katja".

'Alucard can be so harsh sometimes, but after you have pushed him away, and continue to push aside Seras...you will have no one left but me" Katja reminded in a condescending tone, 'you will only have me'.

After her comment, Katja's voice faded to a whisper and then silenced completely. Victoria looked back to the mirror, relieved to see the circles of red somewhat receding.

Suddenly she was pulled from her thoughts when several loud knocks echoed throughout the room, "Uh Victoria are you okay" Seras asked, "are you talking to someone? can I come in?"

Sighing Victoria dabbed her eyes before slipping on sunglasses and grabbing her bag nearby, "yes, I'll be right out".

XxX

Victoria impatiently tapped her foot against the wooden floor while drumming her fingers against the nearby banister. Waiting in the entrance of the mansion for Seras to return from her room at the realization she had forgot her phone. After what seemed like several long minutes she heard footsteps coming down the hall nearby, putting away her own phone she eagerly looked up only to spot the familiar dark red duster. Sighing she quickly turned around as he walked to the entrance himself, obviously waiting for someone as well.

The elder vampire occasionally shot quick glances to the woman from the corner of his eye, checking to see if she was in fact looking back.

Victoria however was aware of this, he was never the subtle type after all, instead she buried herself further into her phone and begun typing random words to appear busy. Alucard let out a soft grunt of frustration and cleared his throat roughly, to which Victoria ignored, that was however until he kept repeating this action, trying to redirect her attention.

"Evening" she addressed dryly not looking up from her phone,

"Good evening" he replied smoothly, "where are you going?"

"Funeral" she deadpanned stuffing her phone away,

"Alex's?" Alucard asked softly.

His tone annoyed Victoria, how he was acting so civil and kind now, and while he was done being upset, she certainly wasn't. "Yes" she hissed dryly, "who else's?"

He clenched his teeth in frustration, sensing the small talk wasn't helping, instead he got straight to the point. "Victoria, I will be away for some while" he begun lowly, "it's become apparent that Millennium is finally making their move" he explained. Victoria nodded softly, acknowledging his comments, but still refusing to look at him. "I may not return in time to see you into battle, I regret not being able to teach you how to control you powers" he confessed. "But, before I leave, I would like to make amends".

Victoria bit her cheek, relieved her eyes were shielded as they showed her true emotions, letting out a long sigh she glanced at his solemn expression, not covered with his usual sly grin. "We have not decided if we are participating in this... Feud between Millennium, Hellsing and the Vatican" she replied gruffly, "...is this an apology?"

"Yes" he replied simply, "I regret my actions, I regret the trouble I have caused you".

Victoria bit the inside of her cheek anxiously and glanced up at the man, seeing his expectant expression. "I accept your apology" she replied slowly, "but...I do not forgive you, it will take time". Alucard's brief smile faded and his eyes set on a blank stare. "I am sure, that we will meet again, Alucard, but until then... Time apart is what I need".

His face was set on both a disappointing and somewhat sad expression, however before he could open his mouth Seras came racing down the hall in a flurry of black clothing.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry" she cried, "I've finally foun-" she huffed meeting up to the pair, falling silent as she met the tense atmosphere.

"No, it's fine, let's go" Victoria said shortly before turning towards the man, "until next time... Alucard".

XxX

The air was humid and heavy, the threat of rain looming in the distance as the clouds rolled in and a low rumble of thunder could just barely be heard. The unkempt cemetery was silent, as Victoria and Seras strode up the path they glanced at all the unkempt tombstones, the artist swearing she wouldn't let Alex's become as decrepit. As the woman approached the small group of people she was disappointed to find that she barely recognized any, with the exception of Alex's parents and boyfriend, who was sobbing on a bench nearby. Before she could offer her condolences to the man, Alex's parents rushed over, both teary eyed and pale.

Before she could open her mouth, the woman's mother clasped Victoria's hands in her own, making an effort to stare into her concealed eyes. "Victoria dear, we are glad to see you could make it, after we heard of your condition we were worried we had lost you too" she wept. "Now don't go think that this was your fault, it's not your fault you couldn't do anything".

"Speak for yourself" the father growled glaring at the vampiric pair, "a military medic couldn't fix a scratch",

"It was more than that-" she protested.

Ignoring her comment he continued in a bitter tone, "as far as I'm concerned... It should've been you. You got lucky".

All three women had their mouths hung open in shock before the mother muttered hurried embarrassed apologies before rushing her husband away in a flurry. After several seconds of silence Seras spoke,

"Are you okay?" She asked timidly, "you know it's not your f-"

"I know that" Victoria snapped, "I know she was going to die, I know I couldn't save her, and I know the only reason I lived and she didn't was because of pure fucking luck. What I know is my fault, is that I couldn't kill the bastard who did it, I missed my shot and he got away" she rasped shaking with anger.

Seras frowned and did her best to avoid looking into Victoria's blank gaze, "Victoria, your shot wouldn't have killed him, it takes more than a few to kill those vampires" she explained softly. "You can't let this hatred burden you forever".

"Well I can't forgive him" Victoria stated dryly, "I will kill him or die trying",

Seras spotted the priest approaching the mourners and let out a long sigh. 'What can I say' she thought, pulling out a packet of crumpled tissues from her purse. "Come on, the service is starting" she replied softly,

Victoria glanced at the group before hurriedly striding towards the mourners, "Let's get this over with".

XxX

The drive to the airport was short, but it gave the vampire enough time to think about his actions. His meeting with the artist earlier, was both unplanned and disappointing, him not getting the response he desired. Alucard let out an unnecessary sigh and suck deeper into the soft leather seats, watching as the small planes in the distance grew larger. His optimism had given him the hope that she would be there to see him off, wish him good luck as she always did when he left for missions.

Suddenly the phone in his pocket let out a violent buzz and he scrambled to retrieve the device, flicking it open only to be disappointed to find a message from Walter, co-ordinates for the plane. Scowling he looked past the message to the home screen, a default wallpaper by the phone company, the memory of his previous phone being shot to pieces in his coat pocket when he was.

After several more minutes of brooding the car pulled up alongside the plane, parked on Hellsing's private airstrip. From the mirror he saw the driver give a simple curt nod and the vampire climbed out of the car ungracefully, slamming shut the door and the terrified solider driving away in a hurry.

Striding over to the plane he recalled his strict instructions and easily climbed inside the low small jet, before pulling the cover down and flicking on numerous switches, the engine roaring to life.

After several minutes the radio crackled into life and several voices could already be heard arguing, not in the mood to make a snarky comment he remained silent as the navigation system went online. The pilot begun calmly instructing the vampire, which he could barely hear over the background noise. Quickly punching in the co-ordinates the plane quickly set off down the runway, the vampire feeling more nervous than usual.

XxX

The service was short, simple, but overly religious for Victoria's liking, however it was arranged by the woman's catholic parents, so it was somewhat expected. Immediately after the service ended, the small crowd dissipated quickly, making Victoria wonder if they knew the woman at all. Looking around only a handful of people remained, Alex's parents lowing the urn into the hole and covering it with dirt, her boyfriend still weeping, and herself, staring at the headstone with a blank expression.

"Children are never supposed to die before their parents" the artist commented dryly, "If there was a god, it wouldn't allow her to die, she has done nothing wrong".

Seras carefully listened to ever word, noticing her tone become more stern and vicious. "It was a freak accident, it was no ones fault but Jake's" she replied softly. "I'm worried about you" Seras confessed suddenly, "ever since-"

"No, ever since the...incident, people have been acting weirdly around me" Victoria rambled, "Walter and Integra avoiding me completely, avoiding eye contact. Alucard, angry and violet at what Katja did, not even bothering to understand why she did it!"

"What do you mean?" Seras muttured numbly, "don't tell me you're siding with her!"

Victoria scowled and glared at the blonde, "I've been where Katja has, it's lonely and cold and shit. You envy the person who gets to walk among your friends, so yes, I can understand why she did the things she did" She snapped. "But you Seras. You treating me like a child, who can't care for themselves, but...at the same time you're scared of me".

The fledging took a step back from the women almost tripping over her numb trembling legs, "no, no! Victoria I'm looking after you because you're my freind!" She cried, "it's Katja I'm scared of!"

Victorias lips formed a snarl and she ripped the glasses from her face to reveal her dark eyes equal parts red and brown. "No, you're scared of us" she spat, Katja's accent slowly leaking into her tone. "I don't need looking after, it's you who needs it" she growled glaring at the blonde who's face was locked in a horrified expression.

Seras couldn't talk for fear of her voice cracking instead she collapsed on the bench nearby and buried her head in her hands. "Victoria I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I couldn't help, master made me promise to look after you, he told me never to leave your side.

"Both of you...god...I can't" Victoria mumbled, "go home Seras, I'm staying here for awhile".

Seras not wishing to argue with the woman, did as she was told and rushed away to the car nearby.

XxX

Victoria felt a painful pang in her chest, something she hadn't felt of awhile, and as she watched Seras disappear into the distance she scowled. 'Why would I say that' she thought recalling her conversation which seemed to be hazy and lacking detail. 'Katja, she did it' she cursed internally.

'Actually no, it was mostly you, however I must admit my anger slipped out somewhat' Katja replied smoothly.

However before Victoria could argue back she felt a figure brush past her,

"Boy, you really messed up this time" he muttered in amusement.

Victoria quickly turned around to be faced by a bemused schrodinger, while a larger stoic figure hidden in trench coat looked down the the woman intimidatingly. "Y-you're from millennium... Wait you got shot to bits" she shrieked jumping back from the boy, "what are you doing here?!" She asked shakily wondering if she should call for Seras.

At seeing the woman glance around frantically he let out a short sigh, "I just vant to talk, I don't mean you any harm" he reassured. "Give me... five minutes".

The artist nodded slowly, agreeing to his request, figuring that there was no way she could take on the both of them alone. "Okay" she agreed shakily, "five minutes".

"Vonderful" he chirped, "well, our organisation vould like to offer condolences for your friends death-"

"Condolences?! You sent the bastards who killed her!" She barked shrilly, "it's your fault she's dead!"

Schrodinger feigned a sorrowed expression, "us? No ve did no such thing, it seems they have told you a lie".

"Bullshit" she snorted, "they said so themselves",

"Ja und you trust them?" He asked slyly, "really, we vouldn't vant to waste the resources on...that kind".

"What kind? They are the vampires your organisation makes" she replied dryly staring into the boys eyes sternly.

"Oh no, I think it vas the result of one of our...assets getting loose, obviously infecting the person who killed your friend" he explained.

Victoria remained silent, taking in the new information which made her more confused than ever. "I knew them both, they targeted us" she muttered, "almost like they were sent".

"Nonsense, ve believe that there is a place for you in our organisation" Schrodinger chirped, "therefore ve aim to protect assets, ve vould hate to harm you".

Victoria body tensed and she back away from the pair, "you want me to join millennium?" She asked in shock. "You are the bad guys though! You want to destroy Britain!"

"Oh has the Hellsing lady been telling lies again" he tisked, "besides, don't you feel under appreciated there? Isn't everyvone turning against you?"

"Well yes I suppose, but it's home, they've looked after me and I have friends there" she defended.

"Oh you'll see them again, but vhy not show them that you are better than their group? And I'm sure you'll fit in with our group, ve have people eager to meet you two" Schrodinger explained. "You both vill be appreciated I'm sure".

"I don't know" Victoria sighed, "it's wrong, I'm betraying them",

"They have already betrayed you by treating you this vay" the boy replied shortly, "look, here is something Major told me might sweeten the deal, the person who attacked you and your friend ve believe is still out there, und ve can't have that. We vill be dedicating resources to finding them" he lied.

"Wait really?" Victoria asked in disbelief,

"Ja, und Major is offering you the chance to finish them off when we find them" he replied eagerly, "but! Ve would like you to think about it, if you decide to come with us I vill meet you outside the gates at exactly five past two tonight".

"And if I don't?" She asked anxiously,

"Vell, we vill see you on the battlefield" he smiled sweetly, "think about it" he commented slyly before gesturing to the man for them to leave.

"I will" she muttured, mulling over the tempting offer in her mind.

XxX

Pacing nervously around her room she looked at the untouched blood bags beside her, even though her throat was dry and parched she didn't feel particularly hungry. The house felt uncomfortably silent and empty since Integra and Walter had left, only a handful of Geese and the two vampires behind. However, these would make it easier for her to leave, if she wanted to.

But since her long walk home in the rain she had thoroughly thought it over, weighing the pro's and con's of deserting Integra, Walter, Seras and Alucard. However her greed for vengeance had already swayed her opinion one way, enough for her to be holding three thick envelopes in her hand.

The first for Integra, formal, to the point, but most of all apologetic, a majority of the two messy handwritten pages filled with thank you's and apologies, because despite her slight resentment for her now, the artist was plagued with guilt and debt. A note wishing her luck on the battlefield was also included. This was to be placed on her desk, not that she would return for awhile but Walter's back and forth trips would ensure she got it.

The second letter, three pages of heartfelt apologies and reassurement that her actions weren't the fault of the fledglings. This was the hardest to write, not because of the emotional strain, but because Victoria struggled to find enough words to apologize. This was to be placed on top of her coffin, she would return there eventually.

And finally, consisting of two page's of handwriting, was a combination of Victoria and Katja's words. Victoria suspected that Alucard may not read this while she was alive, which made it all the more easier to write down their true feelings. Heartfelt, sorrowful, filled with regrets, but most of all understanding. Before sealing the envelope she placed the dreamcatcher charm inside and wrote a phrase most suiting on the flap, 'may we meet again another time'. This would be placed beside Seras's, she would know to hand it on where possible.

Looking at the clock on the wall the minute hand ticked just past two, swallowing a hard lump in her throat she threw her bag over her shoulder and flicked off the light for the last time.


	26. Chapter 26 - Betrayal

**Thanks for all the reviews guys, holy shit so many ;-; thank you!**

_NamelessFangirl: Haha unfortunately it's a bit late for her to turn back to Hellsing, but I agree with your statement, so far I am planning to have her go her own way and do her thing, with Millennium's information of course. Schrodinger is shady as fuck, but he's fun to write :^) Thanks!_

_Akuma: I know right, but generally threatening to kick someone is too funny to be taken seriously haha_

_BornRose: No such thing as too many reviews! Thank you so much for the encouragement and kind words, I'm super glad you're loving this story!_

_cappuccinocat92: hopefully this update came soon enough lol, glad to hear you're liking to story so far!_

**Thanks for Reading, Please enjoy!**

* * *

The hall was long, dark and foreboding, with the only light coming from the cracks under the tall metal doors lining the hall. The trio were silent and all that could be heard was the heavy footsteps of the artist. As she walked down the narrow winding hall, she was constantly reminded of the large solider and cat boy beside as they walked uncomfortably close, presumably to ensure she wouldn't run away. It was only once they reached a large steel door, complete with a pass code lock, the two gave her distance.

The metallic door slowly parting and exposing a large room, every wall covered in televisions of all shapes and sizes, their flickering screens showing video feeds from hundreds of different locations. As she entered the room and glanced at the wall of screens, the artist swore she could see the exterior of Hellsing manor.

However before she could examine the screen longer, the elegant rounded chair in the center of the room swiveled around quickly, exposing the madly grinning Major.

XxX

Seras slammed her door shut and let out a frustrated scream before kicking the corner of her coffin in frustration. "Why does she have to do that!" Seras screamed, frustrated after spending hours trying to find the woman. "Why do I even care, she was so...ugh!" she growled under her breath feeling tears dampen her eyes. Ever since the hateful words left the artist's lips Seras felt a unending pain in her chest and heaviness in her stomach, the uneasiness increasing since she couldn't find the woman anywhere. It was only when she collapsed into the coffin in a tired defeat she heard the crinkle of paper under her pillow. Quickly sitting up she shoved her hand under her pillow and pulled out the two envelopes, not being able to suppress the gasp that she let out when she saw Victoria's familiar scratchy writing covered the envelopes.

Observing her envelope she placed it to the side to see one meant for her master, "why wouldn't she just give it to him when he gets back?" She mumbled aloud. Only after she let the thought sink in she realised that it was most likely Victoria never intended to see him again, meaning she most likely never intended to return.

The tightness in her chest increased and she quickly wiped away the growing tears, putting his letter aside she quickly tore open her own. The fledglings blue eyes pouring over the pages of messy writing. Reading it over and over the words wouldn't process in her mind, instead it felt like a horrible dream, her best friend had run away, although she didn't state where, which made her anxiety only grow.

The blonde let her tears fall, her body too numb to wipe them away, she would be lying if she said she hadn't expected it, but it still hurt none the less.

XxX

Victoria took a hesitant step back only to have her back hit the torso of the stranger in the trench coat, reminding the woman that once again she couldn't back out.

"Come forward fräulein!" Major called cheerily, "I von't bite",

The artist took several clumsy steps forward but avoided looking at his fascinated gaze, the largest grin she had ever seen adored his face. Much like when a child got a toy they desperately desired.

"I have heard much about you" Major remarked casually, "you have immense power inside you, but I haven't heard of you using it".

"I haven't needed to" Victoria muttered glancing at the man,

"Of course you have, but Katja does not give without taking I'm sure" he replied slyly.

Victoria thought it rather odd he seemed to know all this information about her and Katja, especially when the only people who were supposed to know of her situation was Hellsing. "Yes, but I have been saving it for something" the artist admitted hesitantly, "until then I see no use".

"That is fair enough I suppose" Major nodded, "I'm sure Schrodinger told you of my offer?"

"It's the only reason I'm here" Victoria replied coldly glancing over at the cat boy who looked rather pleased with himself. "Your previous efforts of kidnapping me didn't succeed so you pulled me in with this offer".

The previous clattering and muttering in the corner of the room had been cut short, when a blonde man in a strange white outfit and lab coat carelessly dropped several medical instruments to the floor, their clanging ringing in her ears painfully. Before Major could open his mouth in reply the mysterious doctor had rushed over and towered over Victoria, glaring at the woman in anger, "how dare you speak to the Major that vay, ignorant wom-"

"Enough Doctor" Major chimed in sternly, "ve are just talking, let her speak".

He opened his mouth to rebut but snapped it shut at seeing Major's stern stare, "ja" he sighed in defeat before returning to his work, occasionally turning to throw a glare at the woman. Victoria noticed this and avoided looking at him at all costs,

"Our earlier methods of recruiting you may not have been... Desirable" Major admitted thoughtfully, "but you are with us now, so you can forget the past".

"I won't" she replied sternly, "I have only come here to find the location of Jake so I can kill him".

"Hm, all in good time fräulein" Major replied flatly, "as for now the sun is up und I'm sure you are tired, follow Schrondiger to your quarters".

"Fine" she huffed following the boy out of the room, however as she was leaving the room a tall redheaded woman was coming up the hall, her stern piercing gaze and mysterious tattoos unnerving Victoria. However as the two approached each other she couldn't tear gaze away from the woman's,

"Guten morgen Zorin" Schrondinger chirped cheerfully,

the woman stopped walking and stared down at the boy exhaling a large cloud of smoke from her cigarette. Letting out a grunt in reply she turned her head to look at Victoria who's gaze was still unintentionally transfixed on her. "Vhat are you staring at" she barked,

"nothing...I'm uh Victoria" the artist muttered introducing herself.

"You are za reincarnate vampire then?" she muttered glancing up and down at the woman as if she was examining her, "weak" she huffed before continuing down her path.

XxX

Integra glanced at the bustling room of people over her glasses, watching as men darted around frantically or barked orders into speakers and phones, 'this meeting had turned into a panicked mess' she noted. "The royal state religion knights have come on orders of Her Majesty" Integra announced to the frantic room, which had ceased it state of panic to turn to the woman in confusion.

"You surely aren't allowing them to help us! This is a matter of the country's security!" A General protested,

"this area is under the navy's jurisdiction! Go home!" another barked.

Ignoring the protesting from the men Integra took the vacant head seat at the long conference table before taking a cigar from Walter, "I suppose I could leave, but do you really want me to?" she asked boredly, "what is the current situation?"

"Thank you for coming" Sir Penwood sighed, "i'm sure you're aware of the captured battleship, it now appears that the Nazi vampire's attempts were successful and the original crew lays dead".

Immediately the room burst into a round of protest and confusion, many showing their disdain at the mention of occult nonsense and doubt's of the sanity of the pair.

Ignoring their protests, Sir Penwood continued, "this was taken only hours ago" he sighed showing Integra the empty ship, bloodstains spattering the deck,

"I see" she muttered, "So Alucard hasn't arrived in time".

"Indeed, we have sent two heavily armed helicopters" he explained pointing to the monitor that showed the ship fast approaching,

"idiots" Integra muttered under her breath as the whole room was silent in suspense, waiting for the Helicopters to land. However they never made it that far, the figure on the ship below had their rifle aimed straight at the pair of helicopters, and with two shots reduced them to piles of scrap metal. The video feed cut out instantly, reducing the screens to an eerie static image. As far as Integra knew the room could guess the crews inside had been slaughtered instantly, those still alive plunging to their death in the ocean below.

The whole room was silent as the static screens flickered, "that was only two shots" one of the generals muttered in disbelief.

Sir Penwood stood with his mouth hung open, looking at Integra for backup. "There you go gentlemen, there is no better proof of a vampires existence than that" she remarked slyly. "Walter, call Alucard and tell him to hurry this up, I want this over and done with soon"

XxX

Seras had estimated that she had been laying in her coffin for quite some time, sleep insisting to continuously evade her. Although she had stopped crying long ago, she instead felt a sense of numbness, everything hurt but at the same time she could feel nothing. Clutching the pile of paper to her chest she continued to stare at the ceiling, hoping that eventually her consciousness would fade and take her out of this nightmare.

However, it was only once several loud knocks echoed in the small room she was knocked out of her daze. "Who is it?" She called softly, her throat raw from screaming and crying cracking after every word.

"It's me Seras" Pip replied, his accent instantly recognizable to the vampire, "are you okay?"

After several seconds of hesitation she let out a long shuttering sigh and forced herself to hold back a new round of tears, "no" she admitted, "no I don't think I am".

"Can I come in?" He asked softly,

"Okay" Seras replied hesitantly making and effort to sit up in her coffin.

The door swung open and Pip rushed to her side at seeing her teary face "whats wrong Seras? Are you nervous for the mission? Did something happen?" He asked in a panicked tone.

"No, it's just...Victoria...she...we argued and" the fledgling stammered, before Pip pulled out a crumpled bundle of tissues and offered it to Seras. "T-thanks" she sniffed.

"Okay tell me what happened, slowly" he offered patting her back reassuringly but awkwardly, he hadn't had much expertise in comforting people.

"Okay" she mumbled before taking several calming breaths, trying to steady her shaky tone, "Victoria and I argued after the funeral, she told me to go back and she would come home later" she begun. "B-but, I looked for hours and couldn't find her, and when I gave up and came back here I found this letter u-under my pillow" she wept shoving the letter into his hands.

Slowly unfolding the crumpled sheets he quickly scanning through the letter his exposed eye widened, "I can't believe it" he muttered, "she's ditched us, she was supposed to be our wildcard".

"She's not coming back" Seras cried, "she left me a letter to give to master too, she's never coming back!"

"Oh Seras she'll come back" he replied meekly, "she's hiding from the war, after it's over she'll return" he offered reassuringly.

"You think?" Seras sniffed,

"Of course, she was very against it, and being in it" Pip recalled, "I can't blame her but it was a cowardly move. However once we have won, she will return".

"what if she doesn't?" The vampire sniffed wiping her eyes lazily,

"Then...you and I will go find her" Pip offered, "she means so much to you, I will find her once this is over".

"Thank you so much" Seras wept burying herself in his arms, "thank you".

XxX

"Here is your room" Schrodinger sighed pushing open the metal door exposing a white room, with a white table and a white closet. Victoria dumped her bag on the provided coffin which was the only colored thing in the room, and looked around lazily,

"looks like a hospital room" she commented dryly.

"Ja you could always sleep outside in the sun" he snickered,

"I'll pass" Victoria replied coldly. "When do I get to go find him?"

"The man that killed your friend? Oh I don't know" he confessed, "maybe after the var".

"After the war?!" She snarled, "I can't wait that long, I need to kill him and be done with it now!"

"Don't get upset with me!" He defended, his ears flattening against his head, "I don't make the rules!"

"Well tell the Major that I want to get out as soon as possible" she demanded, "I didn't leave Hellsing so I could mess around here".

"He has his priorities, your's von't be the same as his" Schrodinger commented dryly,

"Well how do I make him do what I want?" She huffed.

The cat boy scowled and quickly shut the door behind him before walking over to the woman, "you seem like a nice girl I guess, so I'll help you out, but you owe me".

"Okay... thanks I guess" Victoria replied unsurely,

"He is completely fascinated vith Katja, I'd try getting her to ask him" he replied in a hushed tone.

"Really? He'll really go for that?" She asked in surprise,

"Ja, I can pretty much guarantee it" he chimed, "You don't have much to lose after all".

"Not encouraging words... But yes, you're right...alright thanks Schrodinger, I owe you one I guess" she admitted.

"Anytime" he replied slyly before leaving the room, careful not to be seen by the other members patrolling the halls.

XxX

Rip held the parasol above her head shielding herself from the harsh sun, examining the ships deck with a scowl the picked up the items beside her. A thick paintbrush in hand she dipped it into the bucket of blood under arm, before dragging it along the surface of the boat, making sure her lines were straight and thick. After several minutes she stood back from the Swastika and admired her work with pride, "there much more homely!" she chirped.

She could hear the Major's vampires awaken from their coffins below deck, a sense of pride filling the huntress as she slung her weapon over her shoulder lazily. "The Atlantic fleet of the German third Reich commences operations!" she announced.

Slowly the small army made their way onto the deck, each shielding their eyes from the deck and carefully stepping over the occasional chucks of metal and flesh that littered the ship, "vhat happened here?" one exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh no need to worry about that" Rip smiled eerily, "I took care of them easily!"

Looking into the clear sky the small army of soldiers exchanged worried muttering and pointed to the sky with concern, "Uh Lieutenant Van Winkle, I think they are returning?"

"What idiots!" she sung turning to the soldiers, "I vill easily take them down again, und again, und again!"

From the fast approaching jet above, Alucard eyed the small army with excitement, the fight would be interesting to say the least.

XxX

Victoria closed her dark eyes, the white walls of her room disappearing around her, along with the metallic clanking of machines from the floor below. Taking in deep breaths, despite the fact it was completely unnecessary to her undead form, it calmed her significantly. She knew that she couldn't talk to Katja in a panicked or upset state, then she would have the upper hand. Meditation was something she regularly practiced as a human, but as for now it was her chance to communicate with Katja.

Mere minutes after she entered this state the soft buzzing of static filled her mind and along with it the vivid image of Katja's room, her form occupying the chair expectantly. "Giving in already?" She sneered crossing her legs daintily.

"Not quite" Victoria replied shortly, "you have convinced me to take my revenge, offered to lend me your power when needed and now, join Millennium".

"Yes, but you were clear you only joined then due to their information on Jake" Katja quipped, "what issue are you presenting me with?"

"While I planned to use them, it seems they plan to use me in their stupid war" Victoria scowled, "the Major is withholding information until I co-operate".

"Ah I see, you do not wish to participate" Katja replied flatly, "hm it does seem we have been tricked, I don't like that".

"I don't either Katja" she replied absently, "however Schrodinger's advice was very helpful..."

"You wish me to talk to him?" Katja asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'm tapping out temporarily, the past twenty four hours has been unbelievably tiring, emotionally and physically" she sighed. "Besides I'm very hungry and I'm not trusting their blood supply" she muttered thinking of the overstocked fridge in the corner of her room.

"Don't wish to drink medical blood, you want it fresh from the source, so be it" Katja shrugged, "your offer once again is weighed in my favor",

"I don't wish it too be that way" Victoria reminded the woman, "I should make this clear, once we find Jake, I will be the one to personally kill him" Victoria replied sternly.

"I would not dream of taking your purpose" she grinned, "I accept your offer",

The artist frowned thoughtfully, "alright good, let's get this over with".

XxX

The Major ran his eyes over the wall of screens, the flickering images of London not being particularly interesting at this point. However one screen in particular caught his attention, a familiar warship was now lit aflame, the plumes of smoke darkening the sky immensely.

"How disappointing" he tisked watching as Alucard backed Rip Van Winkle into a corner, her trembling form collapsed on the ground. "She vas rather promising".

Suddenly several loud knocks echoed throughout the room, causing the man to quickly swivel around in his chair. "Who is it?" He asked flatly watching the screen from the corner of his eye.

"Katja" she replied simply, "I wish to converse".

The Major could barely find the switch fast enough, fumbling through his pockets a mad grin on his face he would have no regrets missing the show for this. "Come in! Come in!" He called cheerily finally finding the release button sending the metal door flying open.

Katja slowly but confidently walked to the center of the room, meeting the man in the middle as his chair lowered to her height. A amused expression on her face and mischief flickering in her crimson eyes.

"So nice to finally meet you Major, I have heard much about you" she remarked slyly, her accented voice bold and calm.

"Good things I hope!" He chirped excitedly, barely able to contain his excitement. "I have heard even more about you, how fascinating your situation is".

"Indeed, we are quite unique" she replied,

"so vhat brings you to me today? Our plans for you are not yet complete" he offered apologetically.

Ignoring his statement Katja glanced over at a particularly large screen, featuring a familiar vampire in red. At finally realizing who it was she walked over to the screen, examining it's content curiously. The vampire he was apparently fighting was being pinned by her neck, struggling like a rabbit in a trap. Alucard restrained her with one hand while the other held her rifle, it didn't take Katja long to realize what would happen next, and she quickly turned away. She swore she could practically hear the screams of the poor woman, something she hadn't missed from the old days was he tendency for impalement.

"Quite brutal isn't he?" Katja remarked idly glancing back at the screen only to see the woman's neck contorted horribly while he buried his teeth into her neck.

"Ja, the hunter und the hunted" he chuckled, "she lasted much longer than I thought, quite the suitable distraction".

"Distraction? You allowed her to be killed for a distraction?" Katja asked flatly, feeling Victoria's disapproval stir inside.

"It had to be done, he was a major obstacle in our plan" Major sighed, "it gives us some equal playing ground, especially now you are here!"

"Hm yes about that" Katja started lowly, "I do not know if I can trust you",

"Don't be silly fräulein of course you can" he remarked in surprise, "what can I do to prove it?"

'It seems they really do desire us to be on their side' she noted, "I wish to be let out, to hunt down Jake and kill him before the war does.. and to feed".

The Major's grin faded to a thoughtful frown, "vhat is to stop you from running away? Besides you have all the blood you need here".

"I need fresh blood Major" The vampire reminded, "if you wish me to be at full power of course. And I can ensure you that I have no plans to run, I have no where to run".

"Ja of course" he sighed, "I suppose Hellsing will not take you back, und the Vatican vill kill you on sight".

"Indeed, so I am loyal to your cause, provided it benefits me" Katja offered slyly. "Quite the trick you pulled luring us here, but even when I do take my revenge I cannot return".

"A trick!" He chuckled, "oh no, you came here on your own accord!"

The vampire brushed off his comment beginning to grow frustrated with his avoidance of the subject. "Regardless, time is not something I have much of, I would appreciate the show of...trust...you are relying on me to participant in your war after all".

The Major leaned back in his chair and let out a long deep sigh, turning back to the screen showing the once burning ship now extinguished, floating aimlessly through the calm ocean. Rip had bought them some time, but not as much as he'd like, but the time the vampire docked he would be cutting it close. " Ja Alright you have twisted my arm, one night" he sighed in defeat, "I am departing on the blimp later this evening, all further instructions will be conveyed through Schrodinger".

"Thank you very much Major" Katja replied sweetly, hardly able to contain the sinister grin that crept onto her face. "You will not regret this".

XxX

Walter examined the crumpled sheets of paper that Integra had shoved in his hand, reading over the letter a deep scowl appeared, he was never informed of this situation. "Unbelievable!" Integra barked, "after everything we have done for her she goes and runs off to... to god knows where!"

"It is a surprise" Walter mumbled handing the letter back to Integra, "I found this on your desk this morning, she must have left sometime last night".

Integra still livid with anger reduced the cigar in her hand to a crumbling heap, her teeth grinding together furiously as she resisted the urge to scream. "A vampire with massive amounts of potential power is now roaming around London, if Millennium or the Vatican don't kill her first I will!" she hissed.

Before Walter could open his mouth to reply a loud siren echoed through the room, the lights above flickering on and off as the screens and radios turned to static, "all phone lines within a large radius around the building are down!" A panicked solider called,

"The building has been breached!" Sir Penwood yelped,

Integra glanced over to the door which was slowly being broken down, the banging of the bodies against the heavy wooden panels suggested vampires. "So the war has started then" she remarked in amusement. As vampiric soldiers flooded the room Integra remained calmly positioned in her seat, not flinching when the thick barrel of a gun was pressed against her forehead and a manically grinning vampire was mere inches from her face.

"First Lieutenant? W-what's the meaning of this!" Sir Penwood stammered staring at the vampire in shock,

"the meaning is that it's wonderful to be a vampire!" He laughed manically. "And to think, I would be the one to capture Sir Hellsing, Major will be most pleased!"

Integra let out a stifled laugh, eyeing the vampire with amusement, "you are merely a newborn vampire, and i'm in the business of destroying vampires, the fact you think that you could take me on is laughable".

"You bitch!" he cursed cocking the gun, "i'll-", before he could finish his sentence the room was filled with piercing shrieks as the arm that once held the gun now laid at the butlers feet. Seconds later, it was accompanied by the head, locked in a horrified expression. Sir Penwood let out a horrified gasp and locked eyes with the smirking butler.

Integra shot a thankful glance at Walter who smiled meekly in reply, before eyeing the rest of the vampiric invaders. Integra nudged the severed head of the Lieutenant with her shoe, before eyeing the rest of the now worried crowd "Time to work Walter".

* * *

**_I know that there are quite a few discrepancies in this story and it doesn't line up with the manga perfectly, but in earlier chapters there have been major events that I have written in later/earlier or differently, that changes the timeline in this story, if that makes sense. I also referred to the anime heavily for the majority of the story, and then switched to the manga so that may also be why the story line is a bit janky. _**

**_I think that the story still makes sense, it's just that if anyone knew the manga or anime story line perfectly and was like "wtf this doesn't happen here/yet/ever" then I thought I should put this out there, just so people know the reason. _**


	27. Chapter 27 - forget me not

**God I am garbage, another crazy late chapter ahhh. To be completely honest, i've been lacking motivation to write, but this isn't too much of a surprise to me as right before I finish something I procrastinate, but I will finish this story..just...slowly. Also, i'm trying to match the story up with the manga so i'm reading that while writing, which is taking me forever compared to when I could just freely write stuff without needing a reference.**

ALSO I know it's late as fuck, but 1 year anniversary! Legit cannot believe i've been writing for a whole year, reading back on the first few chapters I can see how much my writing style has changed and hopefully improved. I never expected to receive so much attention and support, so thank you!

WaffleSquid: Thank you! glad you enjoy it!

BornRose2: Thank you! And Ikr but wait for it...there's much more to come!

Lola: lol i've never seen any of the star wars in my life, I had no idea I was referencing it, must have been a coincidence. But the story takes place at the time of the original ova, so around 1999 I think?

Sorry this chapter may be a little dull, but I felt some of this info from the manga had to be included for later scenes to make sense. I can't say for sure how many chapters are left until this story is finished, i'd say 3-4 maybe? who knows.

* * *

Crimson eyes flickered between forms as she peered into a nearby pub window, watching as the people inside socialized cheerfully, their group laughter could be heard even outside the building. "Something I do miss" Katja admitted to herself quietly, it had been interesting to watch Victoria's interactions with her friends at such events, in the vampire's time alive her social interactions were limited to the castle staff.

"Ah it has been so long since I have visited a town" she muttered moving on from the pub , glancing at the neon signs littering the street sides. "My how it has changed" she muttered. However as she aimlessly wondered down the street, her cheerful expression faded and a frown pulled at her features, the scene became more and more familiar, feelings of dread weighing heavily in her stomach. Walking through the mazes of alleyways she eventually found herself confronted by a large waste bin, the memory of Alex leaning over the edge heaving her dinner up flashing through her mind. Katja knew exactly where she was, slowly she walked around the corner, a broken neon sign lay at the foot of a door which covered thoroughly in police tape.

"Go inside" Victoria muttered from within the vampires mind, her voice meek and shallow,

"Are you sure?" Katja muttered placing a hand in the cold steel door. "I could just turn around".

"No, I want to see inside" she demanded, pursuing the topic.

With a sigh Katja easily pushed the door open, the stench of blood and alcohol immediately wafting out.

XxX

Integra peered at Sir Penwood with interest, his shaking hands fumbling through pockets to retrieve a handkerchief to wipe away the splatters of blood on his cheeks. "Are you alright?" she asked absently, "I thought you to be the traitor",

"I-I may be incompetent, but I'm no coward Integra" he stuttered.

Before Integra could reply, a clammy anxious man rushed up to the pair, stumbling over his words he read off the freshly printed report, "there appear to be private aircraft's approaching Newfields, South of London! Blimps! A whole fleet of them!" he rambled in a panicked mess.

"What about the radar? How could they slip past without anyone noticing!" she demanded,

"the sites are still silent" a meek reply offered, "communications with the air defense HQ are also offline.."

"dammit!" she cursed pacing the length of the table anxiously, "that blimp will reach London airspace in less than an hour!"

XxX

The scent of smoke and burnt flesh nauseated the vampire, striding over to the remnants of the deck he brought he boot down on the charred arm of a vampire. The cracking of the brittle bones inside not being particularly interesting. This was the end of the first day on this ship but even to a vampire who had experienced hundreds of years of unlife, this felt like an eternity. The novelty and excitement of the massacre had quickly died of along with the flames, and now, like the coals, his interest went cold.

Alucard sat on the edge of the boat, his long legs hanging over the side as he watched the moonlights reflection dance on the surface of the water. Land was no where to be seen, but according to Walters estimation, he would arrive just before sunrise. The thought of waiting that long was agony, with nothing else to do on the ship his thoughts were drawn to the rest of Hellsing.

It was safe to assume Integra was barking out orders to hesitant soldiers and skeptical men as Walter stood like a shadow behind, his threatening aura reassuring Integra's. The thought of the pair brought a small smile to his lips, more so when he imagined Seras to be following meekly behind her nervous and skittish nature betraying the potential nature of a vampire.

However his slowly build grin faded when Victoria came to mind, no long ago he would have given anything to meet Katja again, now, he wished he hadn't.

XxX

Katja flicked on the light switch, the flickering fluorescent light filling the large room. While the club stunk of death not a single body could be seen. However, chalk outlines littered the floor along with bullet casings and occasional splattering a of blood missed by the cleanup team. Walking over the dance floor she carefully stepped over the outlines, until she reached a particular one. Large and sprawled out, 'Scott's most defiantly' she concluded, staring down at thick outlines, a crack in the polished marble below led her to kneel beside it, before digging her fingers into the crack and pulling out a large bullet, which immediately proceeded to burn her fingertips. With a yelp she dropped the item and let it roll out of reach, "One of his bullets? Why would that be there, we killed him" she muttered, "unless... He finished Scott off" she snarled.

Walking away from the main dance floor she sat down on one of the few upright seats, memories of Victoria, Seras and Alex all talking together, sharing drinks and shouting over the music. A small smile pulled at her lips, but soon faded to a frown, it was clear Victoria's emotions flooded into hers. Forcing her to blindly walk over to the back room, her trembling hand was forced to twist the doorknob, before slowly pushing the door open. Flicking the switch on, the vampire was met with several chalk outlines, one Alex's, the other she couldn't recall, the sofa was still there and had been soaked with blood. The smell making her nauseous, destroying her previous appetite.

"Why all the outlines?" Victoria's trembling voice asked "I only remember two bodies in here, one mine, the other...hers".

Katja wasted no time in quickly explaining the situation, "the police arrived before Hellsing forces could, they charged in the room to find Alex, Alucard and you. Despite the fact that Alucard held you in his arms while awaiting your change, they thought him to be the killer" Katja informed the artist coldly. "They tried to take your body away...he wouldn't allow it, then you died and I cannot recall anything else".

"He really did that?" Victoria asked in shock,

Katja nodded slowly, "Quite persistent he was, no one was allowed near you".

Victoria felt tears cloud her eyes, surprised that she could even cry from within the room "Why are you telling me this?"

"Why are you still here?" Katja rebutted sharply, "because you wanted to know what happened, yes?"

"Yes, yes I did" she admitted,

"well are we done here yet? Your emotions are getting in my way" she snarled,

"Yes, I am done" Victoria sighed, "it's time we tracked down Jake".

"And just how do you suppose we accomplish that?" the vampire remarked snidely,

Victoria paused, surprised she hadn't actually considered it, "I don't know, I thought you might know" she admitted.

Katja scoffed, "of course I do not...I cannot think clearly.. Let me feed then we will revisit the issue",

reluctantly Victoria agreed, "fine, do what you have to, wake me up when you have an idea".

"fine" she barked quickly striding out of the club, eager to let the strong emotions Victoria felt fade away.

XxX

Major stood proudly atop the small platform in the center of the airship's room, watching proudly as his soldiers operated the controls below. Despite the speed they were flying at, so far the trip had gone smoothly, and he was far ahead of schedule, despite the fact he had only boarded the ship mere hours ago. However the sudden rapid beeping of the sonars coming alive drew his attention, "ah it seems ve are getting close" he remarked idly.

At hearing his remark the vampiric soldiers deserted their positions to run over to the large windows at the front of the carriage, the Major watched on fondly as they exclaimed words of disbelief and amazement at the approaching city.

"That's London?" One exclaimed in disbelief, "Aw I almost feel bad about destroying it now". The soldiers let out a small chuff of laughter before exchanging words of excitement and disbelief.

"Come on, that's enough of that" Major chuckled, "You are acting more like children on a school trip, than the vampires you are". The soldiers reluctantly dragged themselves away from their positions at the window, returning to their previous activities.

"Come on men get excited!" he sighed, "Is that not the Europe ve have waited for?

Snapping out of their daze, an simultaneous obedient reply resounded throughout the airship "Ja Major"

"now then..." he grinned, barely able to contain his excitement, "let us create var!"

XxX

From the corner of her eye, Katja could see the light of the moon slowly disappearing, raising a brow in confusion she withdrew her bite from the man's neck before dropping his twitching body to the ground in a heap. "He works fast" she muttered in amusement at the realization that it was a large fleet of blimps clouding the sky. Bring her sleeve across her lips, a red smear stained the white cotton shirt, "hm, that makes...five now" she mumbled glancing at the terrified man.

"p-please" he begged, the large gash in his neck making his voice weak and raspy,

"oh, please what?" she asked slyly, "please.. kill me? Well if it is what you desire" she shrugged pulling a sheet of aluminium from the pile of building scraps nearby,

"no..help" his weak voice begged.

"I cannot have a fledgling right now, it is most inconvenient" she sighed ignoring his pleas before raising the sharp metal sheet above her head, "not worth the trouble if you ask me".

The vampire then brought the sheet down hard, and in a single clean movement the head was separated and rolled between her feet. It's eyes and mouth open, terrified expression locked on the man's face as blood leaked from the wounds. "Oh do not look at me like that" she muttered kicking the head towards the end of the ally, "I can't stand it when they stare".

"Vow you are just as Major described" Schrodinger admitted in a amused tone,

Katja whipped around to see the cat boy standing at the entrance of the alleyway, "what do you want boy?" she snarled startled by his sudden appearance, "I have no desire to return to him".

"Oh no, i'm not here to take you back" he snickered, "I don't think I could if I vanted to" he admitted, "after being yelled at for forgetting a dumb book... I decided to check up on your progress" he shrugged walking towards the woman.

"Hm is that so? Well if you must know, we have not located him yet, besides I wanted to eat first" she muttered nudging the body with her foot bordely, "barely struggled".

"Well if you are done eating, I sure you could find him" he suggested before offering the woman a handkerchief which she reluctantly took, "Vampires are always the messiest eaters".

"You are forgetting about werewolves" she scoffed wiping her lips and chin with the cloth,

"oh I don't know about that, Hans is pretty clean" he muttered absently.

Ignoring his comment she felt her head begin to pound, and she had to resist the urge to bury it in her hands, choosing to instead glance up at the fleet of blimps, it now being apparent that London was in a state of panic as she heard the screams of many and saw people run past the alleyway. "Shouldn't you be out there causing chaos?"

Schrodinger shrugged, "that's not my job, yet, I have an important role to play in this var, as do you",

"I decide what happens" she replied firmly.

"Ja that's what he want's you to think" he replied slyly, "everyone is a chess piece, London is his board. But you are in a game of cards, you are the ace, his trump card",

Katja scoffed, "assuming that Alucard is Hellsing's trump card? And the priest he always complained about is the Vatican's?"

"Right again" he cheered, "except Alucard is in on the ocean somewhere, the priest should be easy for you to take down".

"Me? Oh no, the only creature I am going to kill is the boy, besides, from what I have heard, that priest cannot be killed" she rambled,

"maybe, maybe not" he teased. "I suppose you will find out".

Katja raised a brow, an idea forming in her mind, "tell me Schrondinger, you haven't used the term 'we' when describing your organisation, you seem to not include yourself as apart of Millennium so much anymore, are you perhaps playing a different game?"

His face fell to a frown and he kicked the dirt anxiously, "I have been here too long, I have more to report on",

the vampire scowled, "do you want to be in this war?"

"Of course!" he replied a little too eagerly, "it is a privilege to fight alongside the glorious Major!"

"You were created in a lab correct?" she interrupted, "do you ever wonder, who you are originally? Without their influence?"

His cocky attitude changed to a much more timid one, he begun to look around anxiously, "I shouldn't be talking about this-"

"you are only a child" she whispered, "and a child can be influenced very easily, you should consider what you want from your life, question what they tell you".

Schrodinger fell silent, not sure if he should be grateful for her advice or tell Major of her rebellion, "if they all die, I am to go down with them",

"don't" she stated firmly, "you have much potential, start thinking independently".

"...okay" he muttered, "I will try",

Katja sighed, something about the events unfolding made her uneasy, and it became apparent that she was in trouble. "Listen boy, after Hellsing win, and this is all over and by chance we both survive, you can come with me, it's apparent that you are a lost child following the wrong people".

Schrodinger nodded slowly, thoughts rushing around his head, some his own the others programmed orders and rules that always plagued his consciousness. "Thanks Katja, or Victoria...whoever you are" he mumbled.

"Before I leave, I need to find Jake, I do not know how, but Major knows information about his whereabouts, do you know of this information?" she asked kindly, "the sooner I finish him off, the sooner we can leave".

His ears perked up at hearing this, be remained reluctant regardless, "if he finds out I told you..."

"he won't" she pushed, "It's very important, you can trust no harm will come to you".

"...alright" he caved in, "he was last seen around central London",

"Thank you Schrodinger, I will be back for you" she muttered striding past the boy, giving him a light pat on the back before disappearing into the chaotic crowd of people.

Coming out of his daze he rushed out onto the street, only to find to sign of her anywhere, a scowl set in his features before the voice of Major and Doc ran through his mind, "work, work, work" he muttered, "that's all they let me do".

Katja continued to stride down the street, the headache becoming almost unbearable,

"what the hell was that?!" the vampire snarled aloud, the people rushing past too anxious to notice.

"We have information now don't we?" Victoria sighed, "Besides, I have a weakness for the kid, seems kinda lost, reminds me of my younger self I suppose",

"Do not make it a habit!" Katja barked, "this is extremely painful".

"yes I know, you've done it too me before" she replied dryly, "besides, I think I did a very good job of imitating you",

"be that as it may, there was no need!" she barked back, "you could have just told him it was you, now he thinks I can tolerate him.. You have given him false hope, once our deal is complete you will never see him again".

Victoria fell silent, she had forgotten about it untill now, it was something she tried very hard not to think about, and as the end drew near it became apparent that sooner or later she would have to deal with it. "Yeah, I did" she admitted.

"stupid girl" the vampire cursed, "stay out of my way, we cannot share this body much longer, let this just be over with",

"fine" she huffed dryly, "lets just go find him".

"Finally you say something intelligent" Katja scoffed heading in the opposite direction of the crowd flow.

XxX

Integra jumped in her seat as the ground beneath her shook multiple times, loud rumbles and bangs could be faintly heard, A general rushed up to the woman, reading off a fresh report, "the attack has started! The blimps are firing missiles, there have been over 150 attacks to central London already!"

After careful thought and listening to the panicked ramblings of the General she cut him off, "we should evacuate, they will eventually attack this place",

"heavily armed soldiers are jumping out of the blimps and swarming the city!" the General cried.

"I cannot run away, that is something I just can't do" Sir Penwood replied meekly, the color draining from his face with every word he spoke.

"Do you have a deathwish?" Integra asked flatly, "no one will be able to help you",

he nodded slowly, "I-I am in charge here, communications may be able to be fixed, there could be bases awaiting commands, please... go Integra, there are things only you can do".

Integra nodded softly before placing a gun along with a clip of silver ammunition on the table infront of him, "goodbye Sir Penwood, I wish you luck".

As the blonde left the room she could hear the protests of his men, insisting that he stay out of the way while they work. A small smile pulled at her lips, "loyal men they are" she muttered.

Walter met with her as she walked down the long hallway, "Let's go home Walter, you can cut through the city right?"

"As you wish Sir" he replied before pulling a letter from his pocket, "Seras handed this onto me last time I was at the Manor, it appears Victoria is missing".

"Missing?" she scoffed taking the letter from the butler and tearing it open, eyes quickly scanning over the pages before a displeased scowl appeared, "it doesn't specify where she went".

"No, but my guess would be Millennium" He replied, "they were trying to capture her previously",

"she wouldn't do that" Integra scoffed shoving the papers into her jacket, "she is most likely out looking for Alucard, or avoiding the war".

"You have forgotten that Katja controls her too" Walter muttered, "She could have convinced her to go",

Integra rolled her eyes, "and what could Millennium offer her? Surely she knows how disposable Vampires are to the Major".

Walter felt his throat tighten but remained silent regardless, "be that as it may, are you comfortable with her roaming the streets during this war? She could be killed".

"She's a smart girl, she'll stay out of trouble" Integra sighed feeling her voice tremble, "we don't have enough time to find her now, but i'll tell the Geese to keep an eye out".

Walter nodded softly, "we should be going",

the blond glanced back at the command room, "yes, I'd like to meet with Seras".

XxX

Katja rushed down the streets, pushing past the panicked rush of people running away from central London. Ever since the missiles were dropped minutes ago and reduced the majority of the city to a burning rubble, everyone had begun their evacuation, many wounded or carrying dead friends or family. However it was only once she reached the very inner of the city the true damage was seen, Millennium's vampire army ripped into humans like a savage dogs into a hunks of meat. Chunks and shreds of flesh littered the almost bare streets, while blood ran through the streets like water.

She calmly strided down the main road, the vampire army ignoring her under Major's command, not that she trusted it completely, instead choosing to remain weary. Occasionally they would raise their snarling faces to glance at her, but seeing their symbol on her white cotton shirt they returned to their feast, Katja was thankful that Major persuaded her to wear the shirt.

She now stood in the middle of a square, burning buildings surrounding her as screams echoed through the streets, ignoring the shrieks she turned her mind to the thought of Jake, "now, if I were a cowering little rat, where would I hide?"

"a place that is indestructible" Victoria suggested, "a bank vault or military base?"

"A vault" Katja snorted, "he isn't that smart, he is likely dead already",

"well if he is you don't get your end of the deal" the artist replied slyly.

Katja fell silent, "...where is the nearest bank?"

"Next street down" Victoria replied smugly,

"I am betting that you will be wrong" Katja scoffed.

"It's all we have Katja" she shrugged, "hurry up though, I don't trust these vampires",

Katja sighed in agreement, heading off in the direction of the bank.

XxX

The radio in the car fell silent, Integra's blank stare locked on the device as the static filled the car, "I'm sorry for your loss" Walter offered softly,

Integra ran through Sir Penwood's last broadcast, the words running through her mind, "his death is a loss, but he has served his country well" She replied. Glancing out the window she watched as Ghouls followed the car, a large hoard building behind them, "Walter we need to hurry" she commanded tensely.

Just as the butler pressed his foot on the accelerator before a figure appeared at the end of the street causing him to slam on the brakes, "What are you going!?" Integra demanded,

"Take the car, flee and find another route, drive at full speed and don't look back" he muttered mysteriously before climbing out of the car.

"Walter what is the meaning of this!?" Integra barked,

"listen to me, keep driving do not come back for me, drive away from here at full speed and keep going regardless of what happens" He replied tersely.

"Walter, come back alive, at any cost" she commanded,

"Yes sir...now go!" He barked slamming the door and walking towards the end of the street. Integra slid over to the drivers side before putting it in reverse, the thunking of bodies going under the back tires unsettling her.

XxX

"Everything is going so well" Maxwell stated fondly, "London is in ruins, as well as the USA... it's divine punishment, and now that Alucard is out of the way, England and Hellsing are our primary targets".

A priest stood forward, "What of Hellsing's other vampires? And the Major?"

"Hm i'm aware Millennium possesses the reincarnate, not much can be done about that...the other one is nothing to worry about. As for the major, the Vatican is well outside his reach, besides he is not stupid enough to attack us" he replied. "It seems it's time for us to join the war" Maxwell stated slyly, "we will liberate Britain from those monsters, our divine army numbers in the thousands".

"Uh please look at this" a young priest shoved a collection of papers into Maxwell's hands anxiously, "Moments ago out satellite our satellite captured this...a British aircraft carrier, it's advancing towards British shores".

"Impossible" Maxwell snapped, "a massive spy plane crashed into the deck and it's been burnt beyond recognition".

"Be that as it may, we believe Alucard is still on board" and older priest chimed in,

The papers were thrown to the ground in frustration before Maxwell begun pacing around anxiously, "we'll I suppose we'll just have to hurry" he sighed. "Send out the armies, i'm not waiting for his return".

XxX

The blonde climbed out of the car wreck, ghouls and Vampire swarming around her instantly, while the vampires taunted her she pulled a sword from her belt and held it infront of her boldly, "you want me to roll over like a dog? I don't think so, Come near me monsters and I'll send you all to hell!"

The vampires ignored her words, unphased by her bold display, however just as they advanced towards the woman thin silver bayonets skewered their bodies, turning their body to ash instantly. Integra lowered her sword, knowing who it was that helped her, although not sure if she should be grateful or not.

"the Vatican's preist Alexander Anderson" she muttered turning to face his madly grinning form, "seems you've just saved my life".

Anderson continued to grin, "aye don't be so sure about that.."

XxX

Alucard lifted his head to see a small sliver of land in the distance, a grin splitting his face as the anticipation made him giddy with excitement, "ah finally...it feels as if I have waited centuries. I've missed it all...men being impaled, women disemboweled, sick infants burning to death, the elderly being ridden with bullets.." he trailed off the grin slowly disappearing, worry setting into his stomach. "Integra, Seras, Walter...Victoria" he listed slowly, "so early in this war, they would still live surely" he reassured himself, "surely".


	28. Chapter 28 - Nothing More

**Once again, I am late. Thanks to everyone for being so patient first of all. Sorry for the constant excuses and apologizing :S Just been super busy trying not to fail a couple classes, and lacking the effort to write.**

**Exam/assesment season is over for now, so more free time means more writing. **

**Thanks for reading, enjoy!**

* * *

Integra tolerated the long winded speech the priest felt necessary to give her, she had learned to tune them out easily enough. Although, what she wasn't prepared for was the gun pressed against her skull as she was about to leave, "where do you think you're going?" Heinkel asked coldly,

"Back to my manor" Integra stated flatly. "I'm the commander, it's my duty to give orders to my soldiers".

"We've been instructed to take you into custody" Anderson supplied, "best you come along quietly",

Integra could hear the not so quiet of murmuring between Yumie and Heinkel, debating whether to shoot her or tie her up. "I can hear you, you know" Integra called to the scowling women, "whatever you are planning to do, get it over with... I'm going home".

Anderson turned to his companions and scolded them quietly, "We aren't going to overpower a woman with no protection, it makes us no better than rapists".

For once Integra was glad of the priest's intense morals, "Fine then, I suppose i'll be leaving now, do you think you could walk me home?"

"She's kidding right!?" Heinkel barked looking at her in disbelief,

"these days, it's not safe for a woman to walk alone at night" she stated slyly. Reluctantly, Anderson agreed, ordering his hoard of loyal companions to enact her will. With the disgruntled mutterings of his crew they shuffled behind as Integra as she made her way back to the manor.

XxX

The Geese along with Seras had begun their defensive measures against Hellsing manor, under Integra's direct order it was to be protected at all costs. The pair would rather be on the front lines fighting, but much to their dismay, the manor was the priority. From the roof of the manor, Seras watched as the Blimps split through the clouded sky, making their way towards the manor.

Pip noticed Seras had fallen quiet, unusually so, "Somezhing wrong?"

"I'm just nervous I guess" Seras muttered under her breath as she tightened the straps around her shoulder,

"don't be" Pip replied, helping her with the task. "It's just like target practize, except...bigger".

"That's not very helpful" she laughed pulling the large metal canisters of ammo onto her back and picking up a canon, examining the item in her hands, "not as heavy as I thought" she noted.

"Zhat's weird, I had to have 5 men bring it up here" he laughed, "you'll be alright".

"It's not me I'm worried about" she admitted, "it's everyone else, Victoria...Integra...You...even Master I suppose",

"we'll be fine!" Pip replied cheerfully, "the perimeter around zhis building is impenetrable!"

"I know, but I can't help but worry" she sighed looking into the sky, the blimps slowly edging closer and closer, they would be in firing range withing minutes.

Pip ruffled her hair playfully, "you worry too much..."

"Better to be cautious" she mumbled, "you better get back to control, the Geese will be waiting for commands". Pip nodded reluctantly, before departing Seras placed a kiss on his cheek much to his delight. She watched him bound off to the control room, dread filling her stomach.

"No time for that now" she whispered raising the cannons, eyeing the flying targets, "I've got a job to do".

XxX

"We are lost idiot!" Katja cursed looking around the streets, "we have passed this building many times!"

"They all look the same when they're on fire!" Victoria snapped, "i've hardly ever been around this area, I don't know where the bank is!"

Katja huffed in frustration before taking a seat on the monument steps beside her,

Victoria searched her mind for any mention of a bank being in the area, once again her poor memory failed her. "By the time we find him this war will be over!"

"I'd hardly call it a war" Katja scoffed, "more like an invasion, a bad one".

"Bad? I'd say that they are doing quite well" she replied bitterly, "this city is destroyed, it'll take years to repair...if it could be at all".

"It was unfair" Katja clarified, "they had better weapons, soldiers, commanders and bombs than us, not to mention the fact that they were desperate, nothing to lose or defend, I-", she snapped her mouth shut at hearing a person approach. Turning around they were met with the sight of an a young man in a familiar uniform,

"The butler? No, I recall much more age on you..."

"Ah Katja" He noted grimly, "lovely to see you again", Victoria noticed he did indeed look much younger. His face lacked the deep ridges of age, his eyes no longer tired but bright and alert, now tinted every so slightly violet.

"cannot say the same for you" Katja scowled, "I hope you have not been sent here to retrieve us".

He chuckled lowly, "no, nothing of that sort".

"Well..what do you want then? Why are you out here? Why aren't you with her?" Katja grew suspicious of his weirdly vague answers and behavior, Victoria more so.

"Hmmm very surprised The Major didn't tell you.. . now it appears we are on the same side,"

"We are on no one's team" she huffed repeating his response in her mind. "The Major...You..You are working with him? For how long!"

Walter frowned thoughtfully, "I'd prefer not to answer... however since you haven't lived up to their expectations, you've abandoned the cause, it appears they needed a new secret weapon".

Katja's mouth hung open in surprise, but she felt Victoria's anger building within, the vampire decided a temporary swap was in order, it wasn't something she particularly wanted to deal with anyway. Walter watched the physical change happen before his own eyes, something he hadn't observed before. He watched in fascination how the red receded to mere rings around her iris's and the accent dropped from her tone.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!? ARE YOU INSANE?!" Victoria howled angrily, "SHE TRUSTED YOU, YOU WERE APART OF HER FAMILY!"

"so were you" he replied calmly,

"NO I WAS A WEAPON TO BE USED IN THIS WAR!" she snarled, "ONLY THAT AND NOTHING MORE".

Walter's face remained stern, growing impatient with her dramatic behavior. "Victoria, I don't want to stay in this area too long, I have things to do, but I will say this, Integra saw you as a one of us... she was eventually reluctant to use you that way, considering how Katja would cause you harm" he explained.

Victoria felt a heavy pain in her chest, guilt and grief weighed heavily on her mind, now realizing she had no reason to run away, "you're lying!"

"I haven't lied to you, I don't have any reason to now, it's too late for me to return to her anyway, what do I have to lose?"

Victoria ignored his statement, "what on earth could cause you to betray her?! What is worth that!?" Victoria advanced towards him, a furious look in eyes,

"Are you going to kill me? I know you won't," he replied lowly,

"I just might!" she hissed, "you are a horrible person, but if I kill you now, she'll never have to know what you've done, I'd be doing the both of you a favor!"

"a nice thought, but I didn't go through what I did to be killed by you" the butler noted, "this transformation was rather impromptu, but I don't regret a thing, I've finally escaped my decaying human form".

"y-you're a vampire!" Victoria barked shrilly, her face screwed up in disgust, "you betrayed us to become a vampire!?"

"It took you awhile to realize Victoria, but yes I did, and I'd do it again" he stated coldly, "I don't feel anything towards Hellsing anymore".

Victoria only felt disgust, and pity for the man, someone she thought she could trust and trusted her, traded his loyalty for immortality. "You have gotten the short end of the stick in this deal, you'll forever be a slave to The Major, no family or loved ones, you'll be begging for death eventually."

"Katja certainly has influenced you hasn't she?" He stated flatly, unaffected by her cruel words. "The bank you are looking for is down Ferral street, although he was last spotted in the underground..."

Victoria scowled in confusion, "why the hell are you telling me that? Stop avoiding the topic!"

"I have somewhere to be, I've told you everything I'm willing to" he asked flatly, "as for Jake, he would have to be killed eventually, I'm sure it's something you wanted to do".

She scowled and avoided his stare awkwardly, "I would say thank you.."

"but you hate me too much" he supplied, "I have places to be, things to do, so i'll be getting out of you're hair now...happy hunting". With those words he departed. Victoria watched him casually stroll away, wondering if she should kill him now, hatred overwhelmed her, so much so she was sure she could do it.

"Why are you crying?" Katja barked,

"crying?" she muttered, realizing that tears spilled down her cheek,

"he betrayed Hellsing, that king of betrayal deserves no mercy" she stated coldly, "he made a stupid decision, he will pay eventually".

"If anyone should kill him, it should be Integra or Alucard...not me" Victoria replied, "I thought of him as a family member I suppose, he was tempted by a stupid deal, now he's given up that life and started a new one".

"a better one" Katja replied snidely, "he would be a good solider, a great killer i'm sure... speaking of killing, we should be heading to the underground".

XxX

The blimps fell from the sky in a rain of fire, smoke and rubber, landing in the fields not too far from the manor. Seras let out a sigh of relief and fell to her knees, the recoil from the cannons firing exhausted her arms and shoulders. However that relief was short lived, as she peered in the distance, much to her dismay, from the mass of fire emerged a small army of vampires, "they survived?!" she cursed jumping to her feet, fingers pulling at the triggers of the cannon's only to find she was completely out of ammo.

With a tug of the straps the weapons empty ammo boxes fell from her back and landed on the roof with a loud bang, she discarded the cannons shortly after. "what about the defenses!?" she panicked watching the small army advance. It was only once they were a few hundred meters from the manor the defenses Pip had mentioned finally made their appearance. Short sharp explosion consumed the rushing vampires,

'landmines?' she thought, 'didn't think that was Pip's style'.

She watched with satisfaction as the army thinned, the leader, Zorin, livid from what she could see. Seras allowed confidence to briefly return, that was until Zorin's form slowly grew, eventually becoming taller than the manor itself. With a toothy grin the Vampire bounded towards the manor, the fledgling with a worried squeak rushed downstairs as fast s her shaking legs would carry her.

XxX

The fragile boat ran through the bridge with ease, coming to a jolting stop in the land below. From the deck Alucard could see the damage that had been inflicted, "more than I hoped, but not expected" he noted. The whole city was either on fire or reduced to a wreckage, although some buildings on the outskirts remained relatively intact, he hoped the same for the manor.

Maxwell and his fleet of Vatican helicopters hovered above, after previously attacking the largest blimp that plagued England's airspace. The man looked down in horror to have seen the ship cut cleanly through the bridge. On the deck below, he could see the familiar crimson red coat and hat which belonged to their worst enemy. The vampire glanced up at Maxwell, the two briefly making eye contact before Alucard vanished before his eyes.

Maxwell jumped back from the glass window in shock, "he's here" he muttered in shock, his horrified face now a pallid color as panic set in, "he's here!"

XxX

Vampires stormed the manor, their numbers and power easily overpowering much of the Geese, by the time Seras had made it back to the heart of the manor the remainder of the forces had retreated to the upper floors. Furthermore, Zorin's illusion had fooled them well, Seras had burst into the hall to find many screaming in terror and pain, clutching at imaginary wounds.

The fledgling had realized soon enough that the whole thing was an illusion, Alucard had made sure she knew the signs of one, "It's not real!" she announced to the terrified soldiers, too busy screaming in terror and pain to notice. No matter how much she begged or pleaded they ignored her completely, many had already fainted from shock.

From the corner of her eye she could see Pip staring at her blankly, she had idea what he was seeing, but she didn't dare ask, the terrified expression on his face told her all she needed to know. Seeing him so helpless and scared ignited something within her, a anger and confidence she hadn't felt in some time. She ran to the window, Zorin in the distance still controlling the illusions, 'she'll scare them to death before the Vampires can get in here' she thought bitterly.

She swung Harkonnen off her shoulder, propping the barrel on the window still as she took aim.

XxX

Zorin anticipated the shots, she was able to doge several but the final caught her off guard, grazing her face. "Bitch!" she cursed, releasing the spell, "Nice try girl, but you're too late!" she called smugly.

"Too late?" Seras repeated, looking around she noticed the Geese coming too,

"It was just a trick?" Pip asked flatly, "damn it! I feel like zhe biggest idiot!"

"There was no way you could have known..." the blonde replied absently, something was bothering her, what was Zorin talking about? Why are they too late? Before she could question it further the door at the end of the hall was thrown off it's hinges, her small army storming inside.

"GRAB YOUR WEAPONS AND SHOOT" Pip barked over the panicked rabble, the soldiers woken from their stupor did as they were told, opening fire on the vampires.

"I'll hold them off!" Seras called, "retreat back!"

With a grateful nod Pip took the remainder of his men and sprinted to the furthest room in the manor, building a final defensive barricade against the inevitable wave of vampires that would come their way.

XxX

"We're done for!" a solider whimpered, "we can't stay here we'll die!"

"And we'll die if we go out there" another replied grimly. Pip had noticed a cloud of doom and depression hung over the Geese, the passion they had for the war now dwindled, his own included, not that he would show it.

"Listen up men, we are on defense, zhe very last resort. If we die, we die here, let this manor be our headstone. But, our death izn't set in stone, so man up and get working on zhat barricade!" he barked to the exhausted soldiers.

"There's no more silver ammo and half of us are wounded, Captain, will all due respect, I don't want to die for a cause so absurd, we should get out of here while we can" a solider complained.

"Shut up! You zhink zhat will stop us? We've been more outnumbered than zhis! Who's to say Seras hasn't killed zhe Bastards already anyway! We were paid to do a job, and we are going to finish it if it kills us!"

Pip looked around at the remaining men, and reluctantly agreed, many were bandaging wounds or scrambling for any sort of defensive weapon. Not to mention a crying man in the corner of the room, who had lost his eyes, begging to be killed. It was a pathetic sight and everyone knew it.

"Give me the rest of the ammo" he demanded, the vice captain reluctantly handed of the remaining two clips,

"Do you think she'll come back?" he asked.

"Seras? Of course she will, she's not the type of girl to leave us.."

XxX

Zorin strided through the bloodstained hall confidently, a wicked grin on her lips. "Burn it all down! Kill all those insignificant vermin!" she ordered to the vampire soldiers littering the building. "I want them dead! By the time we are done... Hellsing will be a name and nothing more!"

With a cheer the vampires rushed forward, their use of rockets quickly reduced the barricade to a heap of rubble, easily climbable.

The vampires had torn up the remaining Geese faster than Pip could shoot them down, his two clips of ammo barely killed ten vampires. He was injured from the blast of the rockets but thankfully remained unnoticed by the vampires, their focus on tearing apart the more lively men. Their defense had been reduced to nothing, the Geese's bodies littered the halls and floors. Pip remained alive, barely, he knew a concussion was preventing him from thinking clearly, although fear was just as likely. Too wounded to even stand, he sat against the wall, a single bullet left in his gun.

XxX

The tunnel was falling to pieces, chunks of concrete littered the floors, and it felt as if the whole structure could come down on top of her any minute. The trains had ceased to a halt on the tracks, deserted completely. Katja felt confident in her ability to survive such a event, but from within she could feel Victoria's nerves increasing,

"I've never been hurt that bad before..." Victoria muttered, "except for...that night I suppose".

"I could dig our way out of a mountain" Katja snorted, "the most harmful thing to us now is Alucard himself".

"I don't know.." Victoria sighed, "being buried alive, uh, undead, doesn't sound appealing",

"It isn't".

There was a drawn out silence as she navigated through the ruins, "what will you do after we kill Jake?" Victoria asked softly.

"Reclaim this vessel" Katja replied flatly, "as was our agreement",

"No I knew that, I mean after that, where will you go? What will you do?" The artist replied.

"You know, I had not thought about it, I was planning on returning to Romania, but, without Vlad, I am not so sure... Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I'm maybe hoping we could... I don't know..." Victoria sighed, "to be honest I don't know about this deal".

"You have already agreed, you agreed to face death once surely it won't be hard the second time",

Victoria sighed, reluctant to reply, "I know, but I've seen what happens when you make a bad choice. Do I seem as crazy to everyone as Walter did to me? What if we never find him than our agreement wouldn't be fulfilled".

"I will walk to the ends of this land in search of him if that's what it takes" Katja promised, "you've always been one to have too many second thoughts Victoria"

Suddenly a violent tremor cut their conversation short, as more collisions happened above ground the wreckage of the underground weakened further. The sound of helicopters and buildings falling could be heard above, whether Katja heard it, or chose to ignore it she didn't know. With each successive crash or bang above. the structures around them trembled, "Katja we have to get out before it collapses!" Victoria barked,

"No! I am close to hunting him down! I won't be tricked out of our deal, I will kill him!"

"You idiot! we have to go!" the artist begged, fragile columns fell around them as the ceiling begun to collapse, chunks barely missing the vampire, "get out!" Victoria barked.

"No!" Katja snapped back before powering forward, he's in here I can sense it!

Before either could react the ceiling above caved in, releasing tons of concrete and metal on the vampire, she collapsed instantly and felt her conscious begin to fade. Footsteps could be heard, but they were too far away, everything felt too distant, it wasn't long before consciousness faded completely.


	29. Chapter 29 - Promises

**Agh late again, curse my full schedule. **

**Thank you to everyone for all the support and being so patient with my inconsistent schedule. **

**I've received a couple of really good notes on how my writing can improve, and I'm eager to apply it to future stories, I considered doing a full edit/rewrite of this story, but I most likely won't, I'd prefer to move onto other stories. But thanks to everyone who shares their tips!**

** ScrewballBRaine **haha I know what you mean, everyone has their own way of painting and everyone thinks its the 'right' way.

_I am also now officially a Beta reader on this website, I am a better Beta reader (and more frequently updating one) than I am writer of a story, trust me. If you are interested check out my Beta profile and shoot me an email :) _

**thanks for reading everyone, please enjoy!**

* * *

The world seem to swim around Pip as a loud ringing pierced his ears, he looked around the room, his comrades littered the floor, ceilings and walls, mangled masses of flesh were everywhere, no longer recognizable. The searing pain controlled Pip's mind and the shock from the explosions and trauma caused a haze to wash over him, Adrenalin and pain flowed through him. He did however notice Zorin standing in the center of the room, cackling madly, taking great pleasure in her army easily destroying his.

She approached him slowly and with an air of arrogance, "still alive are ve? Hm, you _are_ tough", she raised her weapon above her head, intending to cut him cleanly in half, a sinister grin splitting her face, she took too much joy in the massacre.

He looked up at the weapon, she was hesitating, savoring the moment, thoughts flashed through his head, 'come on move idiot!' his body wouldn't co-operate, bones had been shattered and joints dislocated, too broken and in pain to move he closed his eyes peacefully, it was the end.

Time seemed to slow down in Pip's mind, but he was too scared to open his eyes, in fear it would catch up and he would be greeted with the sight of a large blade coming down between his eyes. One day he would die in battle, but he assumed when he was older and slower. Not now, not while he was young. But he was surrounded by his men, as mangled and torn up as their corpses were, 'we will be together', that brought him comfort.

He thought of Seras, how he failed her, how he wouldn't see her again, how she would cry for days after he died. That thought brought some comfort, he would be missed.

XxX

The beeping of familiar machines and an aching pain in her arm, an IV needle no doubt. There was something warm and comforting covering Victoria's body, which ached terribly. Her eyelids felt too heavy to lift, but as she heard the door open and people entering she was thankful she kept them closed anyway, there was no way she had the energy to speak.

"So you found her under all that rubble?" Integra's voice muttered,

"Yes, she was bleeding heavily, for some reason her body refused to heal" a gravelly voice replied. 'Alucard' Victoria noticed, her chest growing tight, 'did they get my letters?'

"And what of Katja?" She asked,

"Impossible to say until she awakens, however because of the damage she sustained it's possible that they have split, Katja believing she may have died".

Victoria ran his words through her mind, not believing what she was hearing, or what she wasn't hearing, there was no hint of Katja's voice. 'Katja? Are you there?' She asked, after several long seconds and no reply, she could feel her chest tighten further. However whether she was happy or sad she couldn't tell. However, she could feel the presence of eyes upon her, she was being watched.

"Is she still a vampire then?" Integra asked lowly,

"Yes, but weaker, she will have to relearn, assuming Katja taught her anything". Alucard noted quickly, anxious almost, "what will you do of her betrayal?"

"I'm... not sure, she didn't contribute to London's destruction, it seems she only wanted to know where Jake was" Integra muttered, "but betrayal is betrayal...".

"Master, we have lost too many people already..." He stopped himself, Victoria noticed a tenseness in his tone, "we need everyone possible".

After a long heavy pause Integra grunted "For once you have a point" she replied stiffly, "I understand why you want to keep her but she left us in our time of need, that cannot be forgiven, she will be punished."

"Yes, I understand" he replied lowly,

"meet Seras and I in my office in half an hour" Integra commanded before leaving the room shutting the door behind her. Several minutes after the door shut and the woman's footsteps faded from her sensitive hearing, a coy smile split Alucard's face.

"I know you are awake" he muttered taking the seat by her bed,

Victoria cracked open an eye and turned her head in his direction, "how?"

"I can tell when you are asleep and when you aren't, you are a bad actor" he replied in amusement, "how do you feel?"

"Tired, and sore, but never mind that" Victoria sighed, "how are you all? Did everyone survive? Did we win? Where's Seras?"

His smile faded slightly, 'bad news' she thought.

"We did win... although London will take much time to repair, everyone is fine, except for the Major, his army, Pip and the Geese".

Victoria frowned, "Pip died?" she asked lowly, she never liked him too much but she knew Seras loved him, and she loved Seras, 'poor girl, she must be a wreck' she thought, her chest once again constricted. Victoria slowly reached for the lever beside her bed, the whirring of the machines raising the top half, allowing her to sit upwards. "Much better" she muttered, her voice dry and weak.

"The Major, his whole army is dead? What of the Vatican? Them too?" She asked,

The vampire chuckled lowly, "quite,

He handed her a thin file, "it's not yet complete, but there is a summery" he offered,

She lifted a heavy trembling arm to retrieve the papers before flipping open the file, only to find sheet after sheet of random letters and symbols, jumbled into and incoherent mess. "I can't read this" she muttered, "...oh no I can't _read_ this!" She cried.

He reached out and squeezed her hand softly in reassurance, "Your head was damaged severely it may take time".

She gently pulled her hand away and looked into his eyes, lifeless and unblinking. "Now it makes sense, it's a dream, I'm _dreaming_" she whispered feeling tears pool. "You can't read in dreams, Alex told me that, she told me that. I knew it was too good to be true" she muttered. "The war isn't over, I'm not free of Katja, Integra won't have mercy on me, I won't see you guys again, I will wake up buried under a pile of subway rubble".

"What is this nonsense you are talking about?" He scoffed irritated at her outburst,

"You aren't real, I don't know if the real you would forgive me, but I still miss the real you. I miss the real everyone, except Katja, I made a mistake, I don't want to die, I want to make it up to everyone" she rambled tears sliding down her cheeks. Alucards expression remained blank as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, noticing she was wearing the clothes millennium provided. "I have to go help them, I have to go" she mumbled limping over the door, "I have to stop it".

"You could stay" he offered suddenly, "here with us, forever, you won't have to return to reality, we will love you, forever".

Victoria turned back to him, his kind gaze fixed on her, "no, it's not real, it's unsettling here, too perfect, I have to accept what I've done, I have to face my mistakes".

"They will never forgive you, not like us" he argued,

"I'll make them, maybe it's not too late" she replied placing a hand on the door knob. "I'm going to fix everything I've done".

Once again his expression changed suddenly, "you are foolish to think you can do that",

"I will try, they mean so much to me and I threw them away so easily for the chance to kill Jake, killing him won't bring Alex back, I'll... make sure no innocent humans are killed by vampires ever again".

"Optimistic" he noted with a cold tone, "best of luck, Victoria".

She swung the door open, past it's blinding light she could see it leading back to the subway, "thank you, I will need it".

XxX

As Pip waited for the impact, for his death, the sudden sounds of the vampires gargled screams and heavy bodies hitting the floor filled the room. He opened his teary eyes to see Zorin look around in horror, a majority of her army dead or dying on the ground. "Sniper!" she screamed, the vampires quickly panicked and ran around blindly in horror as bullets flew into the room.

'An aim too accurate to be human' Pip thought as bullets hit the vampires and whizzed harmlessly past him, hope swelled within his chest, 'Seras?' he wondered.

No sooner had the thought ran through his head the familiar blonde vampire, in her skimpy mustard uniform appeared from the dust and debris, a furious expression on her face.

"Seras" Zorin begun slowly, her tone bitter, "You are the only one left...and are such a pain in my ass!" she roared. Before Seras could raise her weapon again the cursed images filled her mind, Zorin had activated her illusion, she wasn't about to let Seras lay a hand on her.

Images flashed through Sera's mind, short clips of her life, her orphanage, her police training, the night she became a vampire, nothing she couldn't handle, she fought back as hard as she could rejecting the images. 'It's just and illusion, it's not real!' she reminded herself.

Then something else appeared, Zorin had dug deeper, to her worst memory, her parents murder. It was like she relived the night all over again. She was there laying on the blood soaked carpet ground, staring blankly at her parents bodies, she had just been shot. From her semi-conscious state she had to watch the men rape her mother, over and over. It was enough to drive anyone insane.

XxX

Schrodinger watched from atop the blimp the terror that was unleashed on London city. It had just gotten interesting according to the Major, as the Vatican troops had just landed as well as Millennium's newest round of Vampire super soldiers. The show that Major promised wasn't as entertaining as he thought, he could hear his mad ravings and rantings to Doc, he seemed to enjoy the show, but Schrodinger paid little attention to him. It seemed the long the war went on the more insane he became, suddenly something caught his eye, a Vatican helicopter was fast approaching, "Uh Major" he started nervously, the helicopter came from behind remaining unnoticed by the pair, the soft beating of its propellers going unnoticed. "Major there's a-!"

The Major quickly cut him off, "not now! I'm listening to the music, the melody of war...it truly is an art isn't it?"

Schrodinger scowled, they never listened to him, "there's a Vati-" before he could finish the blimp was hit with several missiles from the back, jolting the airship forward and puncturing the balloon. Slowly the air was let out as they begun their descent,

"We need to land immediately!" Doc cried in panic. However before Schrodinger could let of a snide, 'told you so', the assaulting helicopter was cut clean in two, even the pilot inside hadn't been spared. Schrodinger watched the glimmer of metal that had been the culprit fall from the sky, "such precision" Doc muttered in surprise.

"A job well done butler, I knew that you would be the perfect member for our army!" Major replied gleefully,

Walter nodded softly in acknowledgment taking his position at their side, "when did he get here?" Schrodinger knew about his activities on the ground, something was pestering him. "Can I speak to you?" he whispered,

with hesitation the butler agreed and the pair made their way to the other side of the airship. The Major and Doc too engrossed in their conversation as they slowly descended, "what is it?" he asked flatly,

"you spoke to Victoria and Katja..."

"Yes...we were supposedly on the same team, she seems to have defined the Major's orders".

"She is free game for anyone then I suppose.." Schrodinger replied, "how is she?"

Walter raised an eyebrow, "why are you so interested?" he asked suspiciously,

"it's my job to check on everyone stupid" he snapped, "I haven't found her yet" he lied.

"She is fine" he replied shortly, "apart from the obvious shock and disgust concerning my new form and alliance, she is still searching for the vampire".

'Jake' Schrodinger noted, "okay...thanks". Walter merely nodded in reply and took his leave.

Schrodinger had been thinking about her offer, it was very tempting, he was doubting anyone else from Millennium would survive this ordeal. 'And she is kind, and caring and...' he stopped himself, 'I was made, I never had a mother...' he looked over at Doc, 'is he a parent? No'. He had never had any love or affection in his lifetime, "maybe i'll find that with her", he was hopeful and optimistic, someone cared about him.

XxX

She couldn't take it anymore, it wouldn't stop, it played over and over in a loop, "it's not real this time, it's not real, IT"S NOT REAL!" she screamed at the illusion, she ripped her mind away from the memory and awoke with a jump, her body coated in sweat. She was on the ground almost convulsing, tears ran down her cheeks as panicked eyes darted around the room. she spotted Pip, barely alive, his heartbeat and breathing was extremely slow, she crawled over to him, taking his hand in her own, "Pip...Pip wake up" she begged through tears, "please".

Zorin rolled her eyes at spat at her feet, 'I must be getting weak for her to escape so easily' she thought, she had her scythe buried in the floorboards, waiting for the perfect moment to kill Seras, "no time like the present" she muttered pulling her weapon from the floor".

His eyes slowly slid open, a small smile pulled at his lips, "I knew you would come back".

"Pip, we might die here...I am too weak... I can't go on" she admitted as she begun to sob uncontrollably, Pip moved to wipe away her tears, as much pain as it caused him.

"As long as we are togezher I would be okay" he admitted meekly, "but, you are stronger person, er, vampire zhan I, you can and will continue, don't let zhat bitch ruin everything we have worked to protect."

"it's all gone, we failed already" she sniffled, "there's no point, I can't find Integra, Walter, Victoria or master, I...I"

"No Seras... no more crying" he said firmly, she looked up at him with watery blue eyes, "we haven't sacrificed all zhis to lose, we need you now more zhan ever, kill her, bring down Millennium, burn zhem to the fucking ground'

"I-I can't!"

"you can!" he replied sternly, "and you will, zhe woman I love is strong, and would do anything for her family, don't let her hurt your family"

"what about you? You are dying!"

"well... hurry up then"

Zorin noted this too, she was hoping for him to die before her, perhaps fueling a rage inside the blonde and creating an interesting fight, but he seemed to hold on.

XxX

Victoria awoke with a gasp, the dusty air causing her to cough and wheeze, "holy shit" she muttered in a thin croaky voice, "I didn't die", she didn't know whether to be sad or happy at that fact however. She had been pulled out from under the wreckage and lay against a tiled wall. She reached to her head which pounded painfully, a bandage wrapped around it. The dried red trails of tears on her cheeks, had been smudged.

"Quite the injury you had" a voice muttered,

Victoria quickly spun around, causing her head to swim, Alucard sat on a bench not far away, his tired gaze fixed on her. "You dug me out? How did you find me?" she asked softly,

"I just know" he replied lowly, not wanting to elaborate, "You were bleeding very badly, I pulled this from your skull" he held up a short metal bar covered in blood, "a lesser vampire would be dead".

Victoria nodded slowly, remembering the dream she had, so vivid, so pleasant, but unsettling. She noticed the silence in her mind, "Katja?" she muttured, no reply, her head was filled with her own thoughts. "Katja, she's gone..."

Alucard raised a brow in surprise, "It that good or bad?" he asked,

"good for me, bad for you.." she replied, "I can't believe she's gone, I'm free!" she grinned and clambered clumsily to her feet, leaning on the pole.

He walked over to help her walk up the subway stairs, "for now I suppose...why is it bad for me?" he asked,

"I don't know, I thought you loved her, she is your wife" she shrugged,

"was my wife" he corrected, "she has changed, I detest her, you on the other hand...I've missed" he admitted.

Victoria felt her cheeks redden, "yeah, me too".

XxX

Blood and various parts of Zorin's vampire army was strewn everywhere, Seras remembered little except that she did it all, it was all in a vague haze, like it was a memory that wasn't hers. She had changed after drinking Pip's blood mid battle, but it wasn't in vain, she was now a fully fledged vampire. It was a long tiring battle, she did remember Pip saving her from the Vampire's blade at one point, but he was quickly cut down. The man's already weak body only able to move her to the other side of the hall.

She wished she could've seen him once again before he died, but her eyes were injured, even after the fight they were still hazy. She moved over to his bloody mangled body propped against a nearby wall, a pool of blood was nearby, hers. He saved her by giving her his blood. 'He was so content to die for me' she recalled looking over at him once more.

She couldn't stand to look at his body, a man so lively and cheerful now dead and still at her feet,

"No...I won't let him die" she snarled falling to her knees and pulling his still warm body over, all she could do was sit there, cry and cradle his body. "I can't do this without you here" she wept, "come back" she begged, "I've lost too many people already".

Seras pulled the knife from his pocket before jabbing is through her hand, the dark crimson bubbling to the surface of her skin and running down her hand, "please" she begged, "please let this work".

XxX

It had been several minutes but it seemed like hours, no sign of life, or un-life appeared in Pip. Eventually she had to accept failure, that he wouldn't come back, that she would never see him again, hear his voice, feel his touch. The thought stung to think about, but it would hurt much more later, when she wasn't so numb.

They were still in the middle of a war, she had a job to do, "he wouldn't want me to sit here and cry" She placed his body back gently on the ground, dry tears still staining her cheeks, she didn't have the energy to keep crying.

Not when she had to find Integra and the others. She placed his hands over his chest and swept the crimson stained hair from his face, 'he looks at peace' she noted, the vampire grabbed a nearby curtain before shaking off the dust and covering the body, she would make sure to be the one to bury him.

XxX

Integra watched the rain of fire hail down from the Vatican helicopter in horror, "those are innocent people! You've betrayed us Maxwell!" she cursed.

Anderson sighed and glanced at the flock of helicopter in the sky, "Don't play the fool Integra, deceit and betrayal are abundant in war, it serves to be commended when it against heratics-" he stopped his rant, "but...this is different, I detest how he is indulging in his new power and dominance, using it for evil. He is a disgraced servant of god, he had used his power for his own self indulgence".

Integra was surprised to say the least, this man was one of the more loyal servants she had seen, to see him say such things about Maxwell was shocking. She was glad he spoke softly to her, she didn't want to be in the middle of another fight.

Heinkel stepped forward, "Father Anderson, we have received word from Archbishop Maxwell, he wishes for Integra to be detained and not escorted back to her manor"

it was eerily silent as weapons were cocked and raised, all pointed in Integra's direction, it made her slightly nervous to look around and see down dozens of gun barrels pointed at her, especially since the Vatican were prone to trigger finger.

"No, lower your weapons, I don't like this" Anderson muttered, "I won't have any part in it"

"but we have order!" Heinkel protested, at these words there was an immediate divide, some lowered their weapons hesitantly, others keep them high as before.

The atmosphere was tense and Integra sensed there were many divided opinions on whether to side with Anderson or not, an argument was bound to break out, she hoped it would work to her advantage and would allow her to get away.

She was no sooner able to complete her escape plan when the beating of chopper blades was accompanied by armored Iscariot soldiers falling to the ground, surrounding the woman. She only saw a flash of red cloth and the figure darted around before stopping to guard her.

"Seras Victoria?!" several voices called in shock, by their tone she was sure they didn't expect her to survive.

"It is good to see you Seras", Integra was extremely relieved she had come to her aid, there was little chance of her escaping the Iscariot. "What of the manor?" the blonde asked softly,

"We took the brute of the attack...we've managed to wipe out Zorin and her army, but it came at a cost.." she trailed off, "the manor is in ruins, the Geese dead'.

"Pip?"

"Yes...all of them" it still hurt to admit and the thought threatened to bring back tears, but now wasn't the time for emotions, she promised herself that she wouldn't be a cry baby, not anymore.

The Hellsing leader noticed the dark swirling mass coming from her arm, much like Alucard's, but with more curves and swirls, "you are now a fully fledged vampire" Integra remarked,

"yes Sir, it feels good" she admitted, "I am not sure why I waited so long".

Weapons were once again raised, although with much uncertainty. "Stand down" Anderson sighed, "she could not be overpowered even if you were all to take her on as a whole, to try would be suicidal".

"Sir Integra, you should know that Alucard has returned" Seras muttered quietly, Integra raised a brow in surprise,

"how can you be sure?"

"Trust me, I know".

XxX

The pair were now above ground, in the sight of the clouded sky and destroyed towering buildings that threatened to fall at the slightest breeze. Alucard and Victoria stood in awkward silence for a several long seconds before Victoria cleared her throat, "so uh, what's next?"

"we win this war, and go home, I am in desperate need of sleep" he yawned, "I'm sure you are too, proper sleep in a coffin, not a coma".

she laughed nervously "ah yeah, but I mean... immediate plans, I'm guessing you should meet up with Seras and Sir Integra".

"ah yes, I don't doubt they have been winning the war without me" he muttered, "do you know where Walter is?"

"no" she lied smoothly, "I haven't seen him".

Alucard shrugged, "I suppose he is accompanying Sir Integra... Which direction are they in?"

"I don't know" she admitted, "I wasn't with them...I was looking for Jake", she felt guilty about lying but figured it was at least somewhat true. "you haven't seen anyone but me yet?"

"no.."

Victoria breathed a sigh of relief, 'he hasn't gotten my letter then', "alright well, you go find them and I will catch up"

"what?" he barked, pulling her back as she walked away, "you are injured, where are you going?"

Victoria considered not killing Jake, after her dream she had come to several revelations, but the thought of what he did to Alex still angered her, she wouldn't let him get away with it. It wasn't about revenge it was about justice.

"I'm...uh...going to look at the manor, see if i can find any clues on where they are",

"I will go with you then" he offered.

She sighed in frustration, there was no point lying, "ok, look...I'm going to find Jake, I need closure on her death, he has to pay".

he nodded slowly, "I will go as well".

"No" she replied flatly, "Integra and Seras need you, I don't know if you've noticed, but there are Vatican helicopters everywhere, they need your help. I will be fine."

"I just got you back, i'm not going to lose you again" he snarled, pulling her back once again,

Victoria sighed and pulled herself from her grasp, slowly backing away from him, "listen...i'm sorry, I need to do this and you need to trust me!" He couldn't spit out another argument before she sprinted off, looking back to see him standing there, staring at her with a annoyed frown.

She would be lying if she said that killing Jake was her only motive for splitting up, the artist also wanted to avoid the shame and guilt that would come along with meeting up with Integra again, and her telling Alucard of her abandonment. She grit her teeth in frustration, "I just keep digging myself a deeper hole".

She ran until she felt she was far enough away from Alucard, and came to a shaky halt at the front of a supermarket, she felt her stomach rumble, 'if only they sold blood' she thought grimly.

"Victoria?"

The vampire quickly spun around to see Schrodinger standing atop a pile of rubble making his way towards her, "the cat boy... what do you want?"

"Listen...I've been thinking about your offer and, I think I'd like to take it" he admitted,

'my offer? Oh god my offer', "uh that's great! But we are in the middle of something" she gestured to the city, waving her arms around, "a war".

"That's why I want to help you, I think I can trust you" he admitted, before digging in his pockets for a small tablet device, "when Jake and Scott were re-made by Millennium.."

"I knew it" she hissed lowly, "continue",

"well, they had a tracking chip placed in his skull, so they always knew where he was, and with this device you can see exactly where he is" He beamed handing over the device proudly, like a cat presenting a dead animal.

Victoria slowly took the device from his hands and looked at him with a puzzled expression, "why didn't you give me this earlier?"

"I didn't know if I could trust you" he admitted, "but I hope now we can trust each other?"

Victoria pressed a button and the screen lit up, a small red dot flashed on the map, it was still and not too far from their location, "wow, I don't know what to say, thank you.." The boy stared at her smiling hopefully, "you guys will take me in?"

"I'll talk Integra into it" she replied softly, even though she was almost certain she wouldn't allow it.

Schrodinger continued to hang around though, his pink eyes fixed on her expectantly, 'he wants something else' she noted before leaning over and giving him an awkward one armed hug, which he savored, "thank you" she whispered, "i'll come back for you". She quickly dashed off once again to follow the signal, this time he couldn't hide.

* * *

VERY long chapter haha, sorry if there any Grammer/spelling mistakes, my normal editing website hasn't been working for a few days and I didn't want to wait any longer to put this chapter up.

On the bright side, this fic is almost very complete, only a couple more chapters left!


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